Odds and Ends
by RukiaRae
Summary: Each year the town's most beautiful girl is sent to the thief, hoping he'll fall in love and they've all returned unsuccessful...what will happen when Raven is chosen? Will she be the one to steal his heart? Rae/Red-x NEW CHAPTER NOW UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so it probably wasn't smart to start this story with all the other ones I'm doing now (I'm also about to start another bb/rae fic)...but oh well...**

**The Choosing**

_"It is said that there is a master thief who lives in an abandoned mansion up the hill and deep into the Azarathean woods. The thief stole from everyone, rich and poor. He was only interested in his own profit._

_Some even said that he stole just for the fun of it," the speaker paused, noticing the small girl rustle her bed sheets with excitement._

_This was her favorite part._

_"One day, an old woman was walking through the woods. All she had was a large emerald necklace with her. When she took a break from walking, she sat and eventually dosed off. The thief tried to steal the expensive necklace, but he underestimated the old woman. She awoke with a start and stared right at the frightened thief; he had yet to be caught by anyone, let alone seen. She told him that it was a priceless family heirloom and begged for him to give it back; she was, after all, too old to chase down the man."_

_The raven-haired girl leaned forward, enraptured by her mother's tale._

_"The thief remained unmoved by her pleas and turned to leave. As he did, he heard the rustle of leaves behind him and he turned to behold a vengeful witch._

_'You are _so _selfish,' she chastised. _

_The thief was mortified. Angered by his indifference with her necklace, she placed a curse upon him. She cursed him with immortality."_

_The girl snorted, "Well that's stupid. Who wouldn't want to live forever?"_

_The mother laughed, "Immortality is as much a curse as a blessing. She knew that it would be painful for him to watch everyone he knew to grow old and die._

_'One day, there will be a girl who will steal your heart, and you will have to watch her age and die,' condemned the sorceress._

_The only way for the thief to stop his immortality would be for him to love another and earn her love in return. Only then would he be able to live his life out with her as every normal person does, growing old together."_

_The girl yawned, "Did he ever fall in love?"_

_"No, my dear child, he has not. Rumor has it that he still lives up in that mansion. He steals from villagers. And one day each year, he plunders most of the village's possessions, just to show he can. And _that_, my dear child, is why each year one girl is sent up the hill to the mansion. It is the hope of the village elders that the girl who captures his heart will persuade him to stop his thievery once and for all."_

_The mother smiled at the sleeping form of her child and picked up the burning candle as she quietly exited the room._

Ten Years Later

Today was _that_ day. The day where the village elders decided on the prettiest girl to send off to find the thief. Each year, all the girls in the village who were between the ages of seventeen and twenty-six would dress in their finest garments and, after several hours of preparation, would show up to the town's court. They would sit in the rows of wooden benches. At exactly 2 p.m., the village elders (after several long speeches) would announce the girl they had chosen.

It was always an honor to be chosen, for only the prettiest girls in town were. None of the villagers were worried anymore about the situation considering that each year the girl would return home within days. It seemed no girl would satisfy the thief, only the jewels the girls wore. They would always return home with most of their trinkets missing.

Arella was fussing about which dress her daughter should wear. Her daughter, Raven, on the other hand, wasn't too concerned. After all, she was almost certain that she wouldn't be chosen. Still, her mother insisted that she get dressed up _again _for the whole ordeal. She went 2 years ago when she was seventeen and was awed by it all. This year, after going through it all twice already, she wasn't. She almost considered skipping out on the whole thing, except her mother wouldn't hear of it.

So, after a bath and a meal, Raven was attempting to coax her coal black hair into a decent looking bun while her mother kept fussing over which of her dresses Raven should wear. Arella finally settled on the midnight blue one. It was a floor-length silk dress with intricate silver embroidery lining the slight v-neck of the dress. The embroidery also decorated her sleeves, encircling an area above her elbow. Her sleeves continued down, becoming a bit more voluminous.

At her waist was a silver cord belt and she wore blue ballet flats that matched the dress color. Her hair managed to look respectable in a bun at the nape of her neck. She wore a sapphire pendant to complete the look and was finally ready.

Raven saw her reflection in the mirror and was surprised at _how _good she looked. She rarely dressed up and wasn't accustomed to seeing herself in such a light. She had to admit that her mom had a thing for style, her milky pale skin looked good against the deep blue of the dress. And Raven loved the color, it was no secret that blue was her favorite color.

After saying her goodbyes, Raven left the house to walk to the court building in town. Everywhere she looked, she saw the town's girls in dresses and gowns of several different colors, styles and makes. And the girls who were still to young to participate looked longingly at those in dresses.

On her way to the house, Raven stopped at Kori and Tara's house. They were sisters, and they were Raven's good friends. Kori had on a deep green dress that reflected her eyes. The bodice of her dress was embroidered with gold flowers. Gold trimming lined her sleeves and the bottom of her dress. She also wore emerald earrings.

Tara wore a simple gold dress with a dazzling ruby and gold necklace. Raven smiled at her friends and joined them on their walk to the court. Last year, Kori had been chosen to go. Kori lasted the longest of any girl previously chosen, a week and a half, but she too was eventually sent back. Raven was surprised that the girls who'd already been chosen still had to participate, everyone knew that it wasn't likely that they'd be chosen again.

Before long, the three girls saw the courthouse looming in the distance. Raven was actually nervous about the ordeal and envied her friend's position. Kori didn't have to be nervous, there was no way she'd be picked again. And she'd been deemed the prettiest girl in town. _Lucky._

Raven pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the courthouse and, like every year, marveled at the magnificence of the building. It was, hands down, the largest building in town. And it had the most ornate architecture. The wood paneled walls gave the room an academic austerity that Raven liked. And the wooden benches were cut so precisely; each one looked the same as the one before it. Raven sat with her friends near the back of the room. _Best to look inconspicuous. _

With 10 minutes to spare, Raven could see other girls filtering in, though most were already there. Raven sighed and leaned back, ready for the ordeal to end.

She zoned out for most of the speeches, tuning them out and allowing herself to fall into a sleep like state.

It was only when the head of the Village Counsel (A/N: The village elders make up the Village Counsel) announced, "And the girl who will go this year is…" that Raven actually began to listen.

The room grew quiet and tension filled the room. All the girls wanted (or as in Raven's case, didn't want) to go.

"…Raven Roth."

Raven felt the eyes of everyone in the room fall on her. She couldn't stop the crimson flush that flared in her cheeks; she hated being stared at. Raven rose and walked to the front of the room, instantly regretting her decision to sit in the back. She could feel the calculating gazes of her peers and wondered why someone else couldn't have been picked.

When she reached the front of the room she was congratulated by the 13 village elders. The head of the elders eventually dismissed the rest of the girls and turned to Raven to tell her of the plans.

He was definitely deserving of the title Village Elder, since he looked about a thousand years old. And for today's festivities, he was clad in his blue military suit. It looked as old as he was. He was skinny and bald with some spots of discoloration lining his skull. He had what appeared to be permanent bags under his eyes and the gaze from his onyx eyes was intense and unnerving. He appeared to always have a perpetual scowl. Despite his short stature and his age, no one wanted to cross him. It was said that he was an amazingly skilled general (some called him the ageless general-though never to his face). Raven was just glad that she could only speculate on the claims of his military prowess (A/N: it's the general from the Brotherhood of Evil).

He gave her a map of how to get to the mansion, though Raven found it rather unnecessary. It was pretty much straight back into the woods. Raven briefly wondered why they hadn't just decided to raid the thief's house or something, but she was then ushered to out to the street. The town fair was just beginning, and well, she was the center of it all. _Just great._

Normally, she liked the fair. Each year the bakers sold their best treats and sweets and there were always games to take part in. There were even jugglers and, without fail, the circus would stop in their town for this. Everyone loved watching the Flying Grayson's the best; they were a family of three and their acrobatics were stunning (and became more so each year). And each year there was a banquet that stretched down the town's main street. The food offered would fit a king, there were so many selections that each year Raven couldn't even try more than half of what was offered.

However, this year, it was a nightmare. Everyone turned to stare at her as she passed and several people had the nerve to tell her congratulations. She knew they meant well, but she didn't really feel too fortunate. She consoled herself with the fact that it would all be over in a few days, she'd be sent home and eventually the town hype around her would die down.

This year at the banquet, Raven had to sit at the head of the table, at the other end of the Village Counsel. It was the seat traditionally used for the girl chosen. Raven found herself extremely glad when the night ended, her patience was wearing thin. She also had a long day ahead of her tomorrow, she'd have to pack and then, at noon when the sun was at it's highest, she would set out for the mansion. Once again, this was all for a good intention (when the sun was up she was less likely to get lost or be attacked by animals), but hiking in the sunlight would be a pain. She sighed and crawled into her lilac bed. She was claimed by sleep almost instantly.

* * *

**Hey everyone! I've been _dying _to do a Rae/Red-x story for some time, and well, here it is! I hope you all enjoyed it! I promise the later chapters will be longer (and hopefully better)! :)**

**Please review! Also, if you've written a story for this pairing and have _any_ helpful advice, that'd be great!**

**Thanks!**

**~RukiaRae**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Arrival**

The next day, Raven awoke with the rays of sunlight that spilled into her room. It could be no later than 7 o' clock, Raven didn't need a sundial to tell her that much. She groaned, turning her back from the sun's warm bath of light, but she was already awake. Eventually she decided to get out of bed and begin packing.

The only problem was, she had no idea what to pack. She figured that she'd be there for no more than a week, after all, no one else stayed that long. She sighed and began raiding her closet to find her most nondescript dresses. Just because she had to go to his house didn't mean that she _actually_ wanted to marry the guy. Really, he was a thief who made a living off of lying to others. Despite her negative perceptions of herself, she was still sure that she could do better than a thief.

When she had finally selected the 6 dresses of the most neutral colors (which really wasn't difficult for her to do considering that made up most of her wardrobe), she stuffed them into her trunk. She also packed a lot of nightgowns, a few pairs of shoes, all very durable since she's be in the middle of the forest, and a few of her favorite books. Satisfied with her progress, she decided to get ready herself that day so that she could finish packing her toiletries.

She took longer than usual to get ready, despite the fact that she had no intention of getting dressed up like yesterday. She hoped that by prolonging the process, she could forget the fact that she had to leave. Unfortunately, thoughts of meeting the thief inadvertently penetrated her mind. She even tried to read over breakfast, which was jam and bread, but even the book couldn't hold her attention for long. Especially since she had already read it several times over. A small town like hers didn't really have a large selection of literature available, especially since everyone worked long hours in the village.

Except the Village Elders, who really didn't do much _but_ read. And considering their age, Raven speculated that they probably couldn't remember the endings of the books no matter how many times they were read. Otherwise, they'd probably request a new selection.

Eventually, Arella awoke and was surprised to see her daughter already ready to leave. Well, almost. She entirely disapproved of the dark brown drab dress Raven was wearing. Raven could tell by the way she frowned when she saw it. Raven just hoped Arella wouldn't raid her trunk to see that the other dresses she'd packed resembled closely the one she was presently wearing. Thankfully, she didn't think about it, but she did think about making Raven change.

So Raven sat on her bed, trying to look like she was reading nonchalantly, as her mother tried to find another lovely dress for Raven to wear. It reminded Raven of yesterday; when she went to bed last night she had hoped that she was done with wearing fancy dresses for the rest of the year as usual. _Guess not._

Finally, Arella dug up a violet velvet gown with silver trimming for Raven to wear. _Honestly, where does she keep these? _Raven put on the gown and matching slippers, unwilling to protest against it. She also accepted the amethyst earrings and bracelet and she decided to wear her silver heart locket as her necklace because it had amethyst embedded in its surface. She knew this was one argument she'd lose, and she didn't want to bother trying. After donning the dress, which she reluctantly admitted to herself was gorgeous, she sat in the bathroom as Arella plaited her hair.

This was the event Arella had been living for. Finally, fame in the village had reached her family and knocked on their door. Though Raven wished fame would've found some other way to enter her life. She sighed, contemplating "getting lost" in the woods and stumbling back home, though she knew they'd probably send her off again with a more detailed map. And they'd probably speculate on her intelligence considering the thief's mansion wasn't that hard to get to. She also thought about just staying in the woods for a week before returning and claiming she'd seen the guy. But the idea of living alone in the woods was not appealing to her. At all. She refused to consider that she was dismissing the excuses because she was curious about the thief. Because that was just _not_ the case.

So she reluctantly accepted her fate of going to the stranger's house and staying there for however long he deemed fitting. While her mind tossed around ways to get out of her predicament, she hadn't noticed that Arella had finished. Her hair was in a simple braid, but it was elegantly done and looked remarkable.

When it finally did reach noon, which was a torturous wait for Raven, she was sent off with the blessings of her village. They all wished her good luck the village elders promised they'd pray to Azar for her success. When Raven reached the forest, she decided to sleep under the shade of a large tree for a while. It was far too hot and she really didn't want to arrive drenched in sweat. Plus, she had woken up much too early, so she decided that she could do with a short nap.

And that's how she traveled to the castle, she took several short breaks and then would continue further up the hill. She was surprised that she arrived by sundown, but as she dragged her trunk along she could still feel the sun's rays guiding her path. And the sunset in the forest looked magnificent, she wondered how she could've missed something so spectacular for most of her life. Before she reached the threshold of the mansion, she decided to take off her locket, which was her father's last gift to her. She hid it in the skirts in her trunk, hoping that the thief wouldn't search through her things the first night. She would have to find a place to hide it. She knew it would've been smarter to leave it at home, but she couldn't bear to part with it.

Upon her arrival, she saw a scrawny looking kid with grass green eyes working on the lawn. The lawn outside the mansion was immaculate. It was also a bit eerie. Raven mentally decided she wouldn't be out there at nightfall. But this wasn't what she was expecting out of the thief.

Gardening seemed so _normal_. She had a difficult time picturing him doing something as everyday as gardening.

"Hey!" he called

She nodded in his general direction.

"Is this all you brought?" he asked amicably. She nodded, "I didn't think I'd be here very long."

"Okay, well…I'll take this to your room then." And with that the kid was hauling her trunk off.

The guy turned back quickly and added, "My name's Garfield Logan by the way, you can also just call me Gar. If you need anything, just ask."

"You give out your name?" she asked, confusion flitting across her petite features. At this, Garfield laughed, "I just work here."

"Oh."

She hadn't expected the thief to live with anyone or to hire anyone for a job. And why would someone _willingly_ work for this guy? Raven was perplexed, Why hadn't anyone mentioned this before? Her mind was swimming with questions as she blindly followed the affable worker into the mansion. The house was large and dark, almost like she had designed it. She loved it, the sculptures and art were intriguing and the color palette of the house matched what she had wanted to do with her room. Her mother had only consented to buy her lilac sheets with a black comforter, but never allowed her to paint it the dark midnight blue she'd wanted.

_Maybe this week won't be so bad _she thought. She then saw a large, half robotic man advancing in her direction. She assumed that he also worked there. If there was anyone that would be recognizable, she was sure the half robot topped the list. And defining traits like being half metal weren't condusive to a life of thievery and crime. Sure enough, he introduced himself with his name (something she figured the thief wouldn't do), which was Victor Stone.

After introducing himself, he rummaged around in a nearby drawer and pulled out a blindfold, which he held out to her. She gingerly took the piece of cloth and tied it securely around her eyes. After she was deemed thoroughly blind, she was lead to another room in the house. Through the fabric of the blindfold, she could barely make out the shapes of objects, let alone any discernable features. So when she first met the thief, well, she wasn't able to learn much about him at all. Not that she really expected otherwise.

"So, I take it you're the thief?" she drawled.

She couldn't tell if the silhouette in front of her flinched or not, but he responded "How observant." He seemed as sarcastic and verbose as she was. After a moment of silence stretched between them, he warned, "If you even reach for the blindfold, I will cut off your hand. Understood?" She nodded, "Good. My identity will remain unknown."

She knew this was a threat, but she was unable to dwell much on the harshness of it because his voice was so _smooth_. It was warm, like a nice cup of tea, and soft, like velvet. His voice was enticing. And yet, she could sense the danger this man posed. Being around him, she surmised, was like playing with fire. Though normally, she never found playing with fire to be so _tempting._

She barely heard as he began reciting the rules of living there. She was transfixed, unable to do much but stand there looking like an idiot. She had rarely been struck dumb in her life, and this was one of those times.

When she finally had regained composure, she asked, "Uh-so what do I call you?"

"Call me X, Sunshine."

After hearing that nickname, any favorable qualities she found in the thief shattered.

"Don't you _dare _call me Sunshine," she hissed through gritted teeth. She _knew_ it was an empty threat, and she figured he knew too. Though, most people in her village had been nice enough to back down when she unleashed her wrath upon them. The thief, it seemed, was not so nice. Raven should have suspected as much, but still, the way he tried to provoke her just made her angry. She was _so _tempted to give up and leave. But that would be admitting defeat, something Raven Roth just didn't do.

So she made the conscious decision to stay and tried to remember that the thief was only trying to get a rise out of her. And she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of getting to her again. Too bad some things are easier said than done.

"I like it. It stays, Sunshine."

She growled in frustration. Oh, yeah, this was going to be _so_ much tougher than she'd imagined. Especially since he was just laughing at her. Okay, so he wasn't really laughing hysterically, but she could feel his amusement, or so she thought.

Exasperated, she turned and left the room with a simple "Whatever, asshole." At this point, she was just glad that she had the restraint not to lunge at him. She was so lost in thought that she ran into Gar about two feet from the room she had just left. It also didn't help that she'd forgotten to take the blindfold off. Thankfully, Gar was nice enough not to comment and to give her a recap of the important rules she'd zoned out on. If a door was closed, she had to knock before entering. _Simple enough. _She would eat dinner with Gar and Vic and they would help her with anything she needed. She was also free to leave whenever, though she had one day to leave after he decided when to force her out. And, unless she was summoned or needed, she was to keep to herself, which was something she could do quite well. She was glad that she had the foresight to pack some books to entertain her.

Gar and Vic took her on a small tour of the gothic mansion, showing her the basic places she would use including her room, the kitchen, the study, the gardens, the living room, and the bathroom. There were several other rooms but she figured they were off limits to her. After the brief tour, Raven bounded the spiral staircase and down the hall to her room. It was a midnight blue and Raven had instantly liked it. She quickly located her trunk at the foot of the large bed and rummaged through it. She pulled out her favorite book and, jumping on her large, soft bed, began reading.

Sometime after she'd opened her book, she must have fallen asleep, she surmised, considering light was now streaming in her window. The light bathed most of the room in its orange glow, and at once, Raven knew she overslept. Raven hated the morning, it was true, though she was always awake early. To sleep in was equated with neglecting one's duty in the village, and after years of being forced awake in the early morning, she wasn't happy to have slept in. She sighed, today was just not going to be a good day.

She slowly rolled out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom with her toiletries in hand. She was surprised to find that someone had already loaded the tub with buckets of water for her. She figured that Gar or Victor had already done it for her. The bathwater was lukewarm by now but she still made a mental note to thank them. She then detangled her hair from the braid it was still in and slipped into the tub of water, relishing the feel of the warm water.

When she finally finished getting ready, she finally felt normal. The past few days she had been dressing like a princess and she liked the feel of the coarse, brown fabric against her skin. It reminded her of home and her normal routines and brought her some comfort. She made her way downstairs to the kitchen to see Victor and Garfield arguing over breakfast. There were two breakfast platters on the table, and it seemed they each cooked her something and were arguing over the merits of the meal they'd prepared.

"Man, meat has _protein_ and other good stuff! We were _meant _to eat meat!" yelled Victor.

"Dude! No! Think about the poor animals that had to _give up their lives _for that breakfast!" argued Gar.

Raven watched in amusement for a few moments as the argument became more heated. She finally decided that it would be good to clear her throat to announce her presence and prevent them from killing each other.

They both stopped mid-sentence and looked at her impatiently. They expected her to choose a meal to eat. She sighed, she hadn't signed up for this. Still, she took her place at the dining room table and prodded what appeared to be a creamy, bouncy block.

"Uh, what's this supposed to be?" she asked, not bothering to hide her disgust.

"Dude! It's tofu!" Gar exclaimed, "It's only, like, the best stuff _ever!_"

She arched a brow at him.

"So is this pile of mush," she began, gesturing to the same white, lumpy substance that occupied the plate next to the cube, "supposed to be tofu eggs?"

"Yep," he replied with a grin.

"Sorry, Gar, but it looks like I'm going to have to go with Victor's meal."

She then switched her plate with the one covered in a variety of meats and nibbled away at some of the bacon.

"That's my girl!" he said, giving Raven a high-five, "And call me Vic, Victor's way too formal."

She smiled at him and nodded. She liked him, he felt like a protective older brother whereas Gar felt like an annoying younger brother that you couldn't help _but _love. She almost regretted that she would have to eventually leave him and Gar. So after she ate, which wasn't much of the plate considering how much of it there was on it initially, she decided to return to her room and read. She couldn't afford to talk to them and befriend them only to leave them.

Before cracking open the book that she had begun the night before, she rummaged through her trunk to find that her father's locket was still there, safe and sound. She smiled as she had an idea, she would sew it into one of her drab dresses. Perhaps she could fold back the edge of the sleeve, creating a space for the locket, and place it there. She would then sew the sleeve back, creating a new hem with the locket inside it. She would obviously have to sew the other sleeve back the same way too, to make it appear as if that was where the hem should be. She made a mental note to ask Gar or Vic for a needle and thread. In the meantime, she decided to read until dinner since there wasn't much else to do.

* * *

Later that night, after dinner, she went back to her trunk to find her locket, armed with a needle and thread. Upon reaching the trunk, and rummaging through its contents several times, she concluded her locket was stolen (along with her other jewelry items she'd worn the previous day). She started angrily shoving her clothes back into her trunk when a piece of parchment caught her eye. On it, scrawled in an elegant script was:

_Sunshine (_she growled upon seeing the nickname)_,_

_An incentive for you to stay. If you stay until I dismiss you, you will be permitted to take one item home. If not, then you shall return home empty handed._

_X_

She sighed. If that's how he wanted to play it, fine. She would get her locket back. _Bastard._

_

* * *

_

**Had a bit of writer's block for parts of this chapter, but I'm happy with how it turned out. **

**Hope you all are too! :)**

**R&R!**

**~RukiaRae**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, don't kill me! I know it's been a while, but I've had tons of midterms and tests lately that I've been busy just studying...So I'm sorry about the long delay for this story! And I'm pretty sure this is a short chapter, so I'm sorry about that too guys...Okay, so I also had some writer's block when it came to this story, so I hope you all like how the chapter turned out! And here it is, **

**The Encounter:**

Last Chapter:

_Sunshine (_she growled upon seeing the nickname)_,_

_An incentive for you to stay. If you stay until I dismiss you, you will be permitted to take one item home. If not, then you shall return home empty handed._

_X_

She sighed. If that's how he wanted to play it, fine. She would get her locket back. _Bastard._

_

* * *

_

To say that the thief, X, pissed her off, was a royal understatement. She woke up to another parchment envelope sitting on her windowsill. Firstly, the fact that he had been in her room when she was sleeping angered her. Did he have _no_ concept of privacy?

And the contents of the letter also did nothing to improve her mood. Well, it was actually an invitation. To dinner. Thankfully, she was permitted to refuse, which she definitely planned to do. She wouldn't do everything his way just because she was living in his house.

She carelessly threw the invitation on the floor before stepping on it to show her disdain. She then quickly gathered her things and left to get ready for the morning.

Again, like the day before, she could hear the fighting between Gar and Vic before reaching the kitchen. Once again, it was over the merits of meat and tofu. She smiled as she looked at the plate Gar prepared, putting sauces and on the different tofu items to make them look more appealing. She sighed and decided to try a mouthful of the eggs since Gar did put so much effort into preparing the meal. Sadly, the sauces didn't improve the non-existent taste of the tofu. She choked down the mouthful and looked up to see Gar grinning.

She rolled her eyes, and pulled off some sausage from Vic's plate, making a mental note never to try Gar's vegetarian concoctions. His cooking was almost as bad as her friend, Kori's. Still, despite the fact that she ate the rest of her breakfast from Vic's meats, Gar was beaming over the fact that she tried it. She made another mental note not to go out of her way to please Gar, she felt that he was more annoying when happy than dejected.

After she finished a small portion of the meat platter, she gave the rest to Vic so he could finish it off.

"So…what are you going to do about dinner?" Gar cautiously asked.

"I'm not going, I'll just eat with you two."

Both Gar and Vic exchanged uneasy glances, deciding who should tell Raven the news. Finally, Vic spoke, "We aren't going to be here tonight. We get the night off."

"Oh," replied Raven, "Well I'll just have dinner alone then."

The others nodded, knowing better than to push the issue further.

"So, what do you want to do today?" asked Gar.

"So full of questions," replied Raven with a small chuckle, "What am I allowed to do?"

"Well we can go horseback riding or you can read all day or we can go fruit picking or cook…" began Gar.

Raven snorted, "Fruit picking? Yeah, no. But horseback riding seems okay. So where are the horses at?"

Vic laughed, "Follow us, we'll show you to the stables and you can pick your horse."

"Are all of them stolen?" asked Raven.

"Not all of them," replied Vic, "Honestly, I think the stealing is just to keep up his reputation. He used to only steal out of necessity."

"How do you know? And why do you work for someone like that?"

At this question, Vic's face hardened, "Look, it's not my place to tell you about him. If you want to know, ask him directly. As for working for him, well, let's just say that you don't know him like we do."

Raven nodded, taking the hint not to pursue the subject further. His response did make her curious though. All she knew about the thief was that she found him insufferable and that he liked to piss her off. But Gar and Vic, it seemed, had uncovered another side to X, a side that didn't want to anger people.

While lost in thought, Raven didn't realize that they had finally reached the stables and were waiting for her to pick a horse. Raven brushed off her thoughts and went about examining them. Eventually she settled on a black mare. She instantly took a liking to this horse, though she wasn't sure why. Still, she didn't try to figure it out, but instead watched as Gar and Vic saddled up her horse along with their own. After helping her on her horse, they explained how to ride. Though Raven had actually ridden a horse before and always loved it.

She was never rich enough to own a horse, but she loved the solace that she found while riding them. While on the trails with Vic and Gar, Raven was sure to pay attention to where she was allowed to go. She definitely planned on returning alone.

* * *

Richard stepped off his horse to survey the town that he and his foster father, Bruce, would be staying at for the next few months. Winter was fast approaching and he and Bruce planned to stay the winter in the small town of Azarath before preceding to Gotham City. Needless to say, he wasn't looking forward to their stay.

They would be staying during the worst months, when snow fell in droves. Furthermore, the town was very small so he was sure that he and Bruce would be the talk of the town. After all, here no one compared with the amount of wealth they had. The only interesting thing about the town was the story of the thief who in the mansion deep into the forest. Richard intended to investigate this. No one could do anything about the thief until that point, however, Richard was sure that if he brushed up on his martial arts skills he could easily take the thief down. Plus this gave him something to work toward over the break.

So he instantly headed into the training room, and although it still needed to be renovated with a punching bag and a few other martial arts tools, he could still train. Which is what he began doing.

* * *

When they returned from the trails, Raven felt more at peace than she had up until that point. The ride was refreshing. She was in an especially good mood, so she decided that she would make herself a nice cup of hot chamomile tea. After Gar and Vic showed her where the tea was located, they ran off to play stank-ball. Raven had no idea what it was, but it didn't sound appealing at all. At least they had the sense to play it outside and not "stank-up" the mansion. Raven decided to drink her tea while curled up on a chair in the study. When she finished her mug of tea, she picked up one of the books off of the coffe table and began reading it. While in the middle of reading she heard footsteps and looked up to see a tall man with short, deep brown hair standing in the kitchen doorway. While sitting up to get a better view, she noticed the figure tense up when he heard her rustling.

She quickly approached the figure before he could leave.

_So this is what X looks like _she thought.

"Take one more step and your dead."

Raven laughed, for once she was going to give him a taste of his own medicine, "Is that so? You do realize that to kill me you'll have to turn around, _X." _

She smiled in satisfaction, knowing that she finally had the thief this time.

"Really? That's news to me," replied the thief.

Raven's features scrunched up, trying to understand what exactly the thief meant, but before she could really internalize what he said, he began to work. First he ducked out of the way, allowing sunlight to flood her eyes. Instinctively, Raven tried to cover her eyes. When Raven went to open her eyes, she felt flour flicked onto her face and she quickly snapped her eyes closed before any could enter. She then wiped away the flour, but she was too slow. She felt X grab one of her hands and spin her in front of him. He then twisted her arm behind her and held her in place. Raven hissed quietly from the pain in her arm. Immediately she felt his grip loosen.

"I'm not the best thief for no reason, Sunshine," he whispered into her ear, his voice dangerously low. Raven could feel the crimson blush spreading across her face. He then released her and was off but Raven stood there long after he left trying to figure out what exactly happened.

She was pulled from her reverie by hearing the approaching sounds of Vic and Gar. Instinctively, she turned and quickly walked to her room, hoping that Vic and Gar didn't see her. When she slipped into her room, Raven noticed a nice crimson dress lying on her bed. The note on it, in the same elegant script as before, read:

_Sunshine,_

_In case you change your mind about dinner._

Raven just stared dumbly at the flimsy piece of parchment in her hands. _How did he know I wasn't going to go in the first place?_ Raven decided not to contemplate this question further and instead mulled over the invitation. She knew that she'd show up for dinner now after the day's event. She couldn't help it, she was like a moth drawn to a flame. However, she decided against wearing the dress, if she showed up it would be on her own terms.

Raven was on edge until Vic and Gar knocked on her door and announced they were leaving for the night. Raven sighed and began getting ready for dinner. Because X had already taken all of her jewelry, she really only had to straighten out her unruly hair. Raven sighed and looked at the red dress that he had provided. It was gorgeous, really, and a _very _small part of her actually wanted to wear it and look pretty. But no, she didn't do fancy dresses. Ever. Except when forced. And her mother was the only one who dared to try that.

So Raven straightened out her drab dress and decided to make her way to the kitchen. Just before reaching her destination, she heard the clatter of plates and silverware. Cautiously, she peered into the kitchen to see X setting up the table and pans simmering with delicious smelling food. She smiled slightly.

"What's wrong with you?" asked X.

Raven glowered for a moment before noticing that his eyes were hidden behind a mask. (A/N: Like Robin's mask but the outer black rim is pointier). Still, the rest of his face looked handsome. Raven then looked at him, "Well, nothing. The food just smells good."

He grunted, "Don't get used to it, Sunshine. This is the welcome dinner I cook for everyone. Trust me when I say this is the last time I'll cook for you."

Raven nodded, "Okay, good to know, I guess?"

He just looked at her, and thanks to his mask, Raven couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"What are you waiting for? Grab a plate and get dinner," he snapped.

Silently, Raven did as she was told. When they were both settled at the table, Raven made no attempt at conversation. She had no idea why she thought he even had another side. It seemed he just tolerated her or enjoyed seeing her squirm. She sighed, quickly finishing her meal before leaving him there at the table alone.

* * *

He was a little stunned, to say the least, never had he been walked out on, it was amusing. He smiled to himself, knowing that he'd gotten to her, again. It was too easy, and yet, no matter how often he did it he couldn't help but like getting a rise out of her. For some reason, she seemed different, like she would always surprise him. Then again, he'd thought that about the red-head girl last year for a while, and that lasted about a week before he sent her back.

He still admired how that girl- _Kori, was it?-_ was always happy, but she eventually got on his nerves. Not to mention, he couldn't allow himself to fall for anyone. He wasn't going to give the Old Witch the satisfaction of her curse coming true. So he decided he'd have his fun before sending this girl away at the end of the week. Part of him really did want to know more about her, starting with her name, but by now he knew it was harder to send companions away when you knew more about them.

Trouble was, he admired this girl's fiery spirit and found himself wanting to know more about her, no matter how much he tried to rationalize how bad it would end up for him. He sighed, putting his head in his hands, _what should I do? Should I just send her away tomorrow and avoid all of this?_

_

* * *

_Richard stepped out of his front door to visit the town market. He had several food items to purchase since they had just moved. Bruce was too busy so he sent Richard in his stead. Richard couldn't wait for their butlers and maids to be there. They should have been there to prepare the house, but Bruce received notification that they were delayed and would be there in about a week.

Richard intended to go as fast as possible so that he could return to his obsessive training. He was passing by the stalls when someone there caught his eye. Her long red hair glinted in the sunlight and she wore a large smile. Richard looked at her and decided to walk over and introduce himself. That was when another man standing nearby said,

"Ah, I see you also have your eye on Kori. Don't get your hopes up, every guy in town wants to marry her and every girl wants to befriend her. I'm Roy, by the way," he explained.

Richard turned to face the guy standing next to him. Roy also had red hair and was around the same height that he was. Roy was carrying a bow and a quiver full of arrows along with several different types of game. Richard surmised that Roy was a hunter for his profession.

"Is there a reason for that?" asked Richard.

"Well, apart from her killer looks, she's kind of famous," replied Roy.

"Famous, what did she do?"

"Wow, your like a martian," said Roy with a laugh, "Every year a girl is sent to the thief, hoping he'll fall in love and no longer be immortal."

Richard nodded, having heard the legend before.

"Well, she was the girl chosen last year and she outlasted all of the others," continued Roy, "She was there for a week and a half."

"Ah," replied Richard.

"So I thought I'd warn you fairly, you've got some serious competition."

Richard chucked, "We'll see about that."

Roy shrugged and left to go sell his wild game. Richard looked back to where Kori was, knowing that it was now imperative that he got to know her. After all, she could offer him the best insight into the thief, making him easier to catch. Richard smiled, he always loved a good mystery.

Richard walked over to where Kori was selling fresh bread.

"Hey, my name is Richard. What's yours?"

She beamed, "Friend, my name is Koriander, but you may call me Kori."

He smiled, "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

At this, Kori blushed furiously. _Too easy _thought Richard, _at this rate, I'll get all of the information I need in no time. _

_"_Would you like to have dinner sometime?" he asked.

She giggled, "Yes, friend, that would be wonderful!"

Richard smiled, her enthusiasm was contagious. "I'll pick you up at the end of the day here."

She grinned, "Okay."

As soon as Richard strode off, Kori let out a small shriek of excitement. She decided to find her sister during her lunch break to ask for advice, like what she should wear and how she should be. Kori smiled, she couldn't wait for sundown.

* * *

After giving it a lot of thought, X decided that it would be best for him to send this girl home. She had only been there two days, now three, and she was already making him...crazy. He knew that it was best to send her home where he would never have to see her again. He sighed, at least she'd probably be happy with the outcome. She seemed to hate him and he knew he should be thankful for that because that made his job easier, however, it also bothered him a bit. He sighed.

"VICTOR!" he called.

"Yea, man, what's up?" asked Vic.

"Can you send in Sunshine?" he asked.

"Sure man," replied Vic.

With that, Victor left the room to find Raven. He returned about 10 minutes later with Raven in tow, the blindfold tied securely around her eyes. After leading her into the room, Victor left.

"Okay, Sunshine..." X began.

"My name isn't Sunshine, it's Raven," she growled.

"Doesn't change anything," snapped X.

Raven sighed, "Whatever, you were saying...?"

X sighed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair, "Um, yea...would you like to do something with me later today?"

Raven growled, "What? So you can piss me off for fun? Or just so you can laugh? Thanks, but I'll pass."

She then stormed out, once again leaving X with his own thoughts. X sighed, how could he end up inviting her to do something instead of sending her on her way? What was it about her that made him..._off? _Why couldn't he stand the thought of her hating him?

X growled in frustration, slamming his fists on the desk. Fine, he'd keep her here a little longer, but he promised himself that she would be gone by half a month's time.

_

* * *

_**Okay, I hope you all liked the chapter! Sorry if it feels a little rushed, but this is the best I could come up with for this chapter...Let me know what you think about it! I'll try to update again soon! **

**~RukiaRae :)**

**Please, please, please review if you have time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, I know it's been forever, please don't kill me! I got sick with bronchitis and then my computer broke down and it's been ridiculous. I also have finals coming up, but I decided I'd write this anyway. I may have time for one more chapter before my final exams, but I'm not making any promises. Especially since I really need to study for chemistry...that test is going to kick my ass. Not to mention I caught a bad case of writer's block for this story. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the update and sorry that I couldn't post this sooner, life just got in the way. :)**

**Thanks for your understanding!**

******~RukiaRae**  


**Also, there were some reviews that I wanted to address, just to make the story clearer.**

**Miss Doom-and-Gloom~ Okay so Robin definitely wouldn't do this, but right now I'm portraying Richard as the rich kid who's used to getting what he wants and is a womanizer...his personality might change throughout the story (hint hint) but for now, that's how I want him to be :)**

**Miss Mary quite contrary~ That's her dad from the series, and yes, in the cartoon series she hates her demon father. However, I made this an AU story (alternate universe, same characters) so I decided to change the role her father played. More about her father will be explained in future chapters, but in this story he's just human and he's dead, leaving Raven with that locket. Sorry if that caused any confusion.**

**amethyst-dreams27~ I actually did get the idea after watching the first 5 minutes of Beauty and the Beast :) That's actually a great title, I might end up changing it to that...anyway, thank-you! I'm glad you enjoy the story! You think it's cool? Really? Awesome, thanks :)**

Last Chapter:

X growled in frustration, slamming his fists on the desk. Fine, he'd keep her here a little longer, but he promised himself that she would be gone by half a month's time.

**The Realization**

Raven returned to her room, angry. He always knew how to get under her skin. And why did he just _love _mocking her? The one thing Raven truly hated was being laughed at.

She paced back and forth, stomping hard on the wooden floor. She wanted him to know that she was _furious. _After about 20 minutes of imagining unconventional ways to kill the thief, Raven finally decided that she needed to get her emotions in check. No one had this much influence over her emotions, but she refused to dwell on this point. After all, he was the only who tried to provoke her so, naturally, she would be peeved around him.

Raven decided that fresh air and maybe another horseback ride would do her some good. She put on her leather boots before heading out to the stables. As she approached the stable, she saw the thief saddling up the horse that she had ridden yesterday. She instantly froze, not wanting to alert the thief of her presence. This also gave her a rare chance to study him without being noticed.

She could see the way he cared about the horse by the way he fed it and gently stroked its long nose. She, rather reluctantly, allowed her eyes to gaze at the thief's form. He was lean and graceful, and she noticed his toned muscles under his black, fitted riding gear. Images of days before, when X had grabbed her, involuntarily flooded her mind. With a crimson blush, she recalled how he loosened his grip on her when he realized he was hurting her.

"Admiring the view?" asked X, his back still to Raven.

This comment made Raven blush all the more, she thought she had remained undetected. Still, as soon as he spoke, she forgot everything from her reverie and once again found herself disliking the thief. If only he could keep his mouth shut.

"Hardly," countered Raven, "I was only trying to relax, but seeing as _you're _here, that won't be possible. I'll just be on my way."

Raven turned and began to strode off when she felt the thief's hand gently grab her elbow. Startled, Raven turned to see his masked face.

"One horseback ride with me won't kill you, you know."

Raven just stood there, perplexed at how he managed to catch up to her in such a short period of time. It had to be at least 15 feet and took barely a minute to cross over to her. Raven just dumbly nodded, why she wasn't sure, but she felt that it would sufficiently acknowledge what he'd said. X gave her a curious look, but then guided her to a stool in the stables.

"You alright there, Sunshine?" he asked, lightheartedly.

Raven finally convinced herself that he was standing closer than that and she had mixed up the distances. It just had to be, the other option, was just impossible for anyone. Upon hearing X's voice, she replied with "I'm fine."

"Yes you are," he added, causing Raven to flush bright red.

"Uh, well, I'm just going to go now," mumbled Raven, trying to hide her rose tinted cheeks as she, rather awkwardly, stood up from the stool and made her way out of the stables.

"Suit yourself," muttered X, chuckling to himself.

Raven quickly found herself back at the mansion. Once there, she realized that she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. She was fairly sure that she wouldn't be able to concentrate on reading or meditating at the moment, her thoughts were completely jumbled. She definitely wasn't relaxed enough to fall asleep and she didn't dare risk going outside and running into the thief again. Finally, Raven decided meditation was her best option. Not only would it give her a chance to think to herself, undisturbed, but it would also appear that her encounter with the thief didn't affect her.

So Raven settled herself on the rug in the dining room, cross legged, and began to quietly chant her incantation, "Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos."

Strangely, it eventually calmed her rogue thoughts and she decided to reflect on her situation with the thief. What he did to her, after all, was just not normal. She needed something to fight him back with. _Time to go digging._

_

* * *

_Tara rolled her eyes at her sister's tear streaked face. Her puffy red eyes had been pouring out tears since she'd been stood up last night. Tara tried to be sympathetic, but after hours of crying over the new guy, her patience was wearing thin. Especially since Kori could have whoever she wanted in the village. But_ no, _Kori just _had _to want this guy.

While in the middle of making breakfast for her puddle of a sister, there was a loud knock at the door. Curious, Tara left the oatmeal to see who it could possibly be. Tara was just glad that Kori had the maturity to stop snivelling while someone was at the door.

Tara was startled by the green eyes of Roy Harper.

"Do you need anything?" she asked, unaccustomed to redheaded archer randomly visiting their house.

"I just wanted to make sure Kori was okay, she hasn't been in the market all morning," he replied, concern evident in his voice.

Tara rolled her eyes and opened the door wider to allow him into their home. Roy took the hint and stepped inside, rushing over to the tear-stricken Kori. _Of course he came to see her, every guy only wants to see _her.

Tara closed the door and went about cooking again. She tried not to turn around when she was cooking, she didn't need to see the sight of Roy hugging Kori telling her that everything was alright. She was thankful when eventually there was another knock at their door. It gave her an excuse to leave the kitchen and Roy and Kori.

Upon answering it, she noticed a broad-shouldered man with onyx hair and ice eyes at her doorway. Considering that she had never seen this man before, she assumed he was the new guy who her sister was crying over. Sure enough, he asked for Kori. _As usual._

This time, however, Tara called Kori to the door. She wasn't about to let that stranger into her house. Upon seeing Richard, Kori's eyes widened.

"Yes?" she asked, managing to keep her voice even.

"Look, I want to apologize for yesterday. Our maids have yet to arrive and there was much I had to help with, and I'm truly sorry."

Kori just looked at him before briefly replying, "Okay."

She then turned to shut the door, but Richard quickly put his foot between the door and the doorframe, wedging it open.

"Please give me one more chance to make it up to you," he offered.

Kori sighed, "Fine."

He grinned, causing Kori to blush.

"I'll pick you up here at 6." Kori nodded, smiling.

"See you then," she replied shyly, earning yet another grin from Richard.

"Yea, see you then."

Kori closed the door and turned, now grinning, to Tara and Roy.

"I knew there had to be some explanation, he had to assist his family. He's so...nice," squealed Kori.

She then quickly hugged Roy, thanking him for his assistance, before bounding off to her room in search of another perfect outfit for tonight.

Tara noted, however, that Kori missed Roy's dejected facial expression. Tara could definitely empathize with Roy, she was always pushed aside for her sister.

"I'd best get going," muttered Roy.

Tara nodded and watched him go with sadness. Why didn't he, or anyone else, see her? Even as dejected as he was, he _still _didn't look at her, not even once. Tara sighed, sitting down in the kitchen, giving up on her oatmeal, and decided she needed to do something. She wanted to be noticed for once. Tara smirked, an idea slowly forming itself in her mind.

* * *

Richard walked home, thankful that Kori had decided to give him another chance. He wasn't busy helping his family, but he was glad that she bought the excuse. Richard was doing some research about the thief and had fallen asleep during the middle of it. But he did discover one curious fact in the book that he'd procured from the library. When Richard returned to his mansion, he quickly sprinted to the study, finding his tome open where he'd left it and his map of the forest still pinned to the wall. Richard picked up the heavy, ancient tome and read the sentence that had caught his attention the night before.

"_Raids were once conducted on the thief's house, however, they soon ceased. Each time, no matter when the attacks were planned, the thief would not be present at the mansion when it was raided. To this day, no one knows how he was able to evade the crowds, however, he would always return after the raids and steal from the villagers to redecorate his house once more. Eventually, after several failed attempts, it was decided by the village elders that they'd try to capture the thief using other means."_

Richard had read that passage over so many times, trying to figure out how the thief was able to detect the people and escape so quickly. Richard was also looking at a detailed map of the forest, trying to imagine just where the thief would escape to. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, trying to piece it all together. There had to be something he was missing. He looked at the book and growled, slamming it closed. Unfortunately, dust between its pages flew up at Richard, causing him to sneeze several times.

He sighed, _couldn't this book have any more information? _It was, after all, the only book that mentioned the thief. And considering the book was called _Azarathean History _he thought that it'd have more to say about the thief considering he was a big part of the village's history. _ Guess not. _Richard opened the book once more, looking for torn out pages or anything that would lead him to believe that the book contained more information than he was currently giving it credit for. Alas, the book seemed perfectly intact, apart from its yellowing pages.

Richard re-read the pages on the thief, and finally grinned, picking up on something that he hadn't seen before. The book stated _it was decided by the village elders. _Richard wondered if it was the same group of village elders that held positions now. It was no secret they were very old, after all. Richard decided to seek out an audience with the village elders, hopefully they'd help him since he was fighting the thief, the one threat that everyone in the village was happy to be rid of.

Richard quickly headed for the library to return the tome he borrowed. He still needed to pick up ingredients at the market and get ready for tonight. However, nothing at present could dampen Richard's spirit now that he had a tangible lead. It was also likely that Kori would be able to provide him with even more information about the thief. Richard smiled, today was definitely going better than planned.

* * *

Tara finally had everything she'd need packed. She had all of her fancy dresses, her nice jewelry, and pretty shoes. It had taken 2 trunks to stuff everything, but she was finally sure that she'd had it all. She hid her trunks under her bed and patiently waited for nightfall. This was it. Tara smiled to herself, this was in fact, a brilliant plan.

She would wander the forest until she came upon the thief's mansion. She was fairly sure that he wouldn't let a poor girl stay in the woods all alone. She'd then just have to make sure that while she was there that she was able to capture his heart. Once people found out that she was the one who made the thief fall in love, she would be the center of attention. After she made the thief fall in love, she would be the talk of the town. Tara smiled in glee, this just had to work.

Her only obstacle was Raven, the girl who was already there. Tara smiled sadly, _Sorry, Raven, but I need this more than you do. _Besides, rationalized Tara, Raven was never happy about going, so why would she care? No, it wouldn't be a big deal at all.

* * *

Raven had waited in bed for hours now, trying to keep herself awake. She needed to find out more about the thief if she was actually going to get back at him for everything. Finally satisfied that everyone was indeed asleep, she crept out of her room. She decided to start her search downstairs since she was so nervous. The thief supposedly had great hearing, and not to mention, her heart was racing so fast that she could barely hear anything above it. She decided to head into his study, the one near the mansion's entrance. She tried to stealthily open the door, but it was locked. Raven sighed and grabbed a knife from the kitchen, and quietly used that to pick the lock. Quite frankly, Raven was surprised that it was so simple.

She'd never had much experience picking locks, she'd only had to do it once, and yet this lock yielded in no time. She was honestly surprised, but brushed that aside and began to search the contents of the room. There were a few stray pieces of paper on the desk, nothing important was written on them. In fact, they were all merely doodles, but they were very realistic and gorgeous. Raven found herself gaping at some of the drawings, they were all so detailed.

Eventually, she put the papers down and began to rifle through the contents of the drawers. Once again, much to her disappointment, there was no valuable information to be found. Finally, in the last drawer, Raven found an incredibly aged letter. She held up the pieces of parchment to the window, hoping to read its contents. However, the moonlight was not enough for her to make out what it said.

Looking out the window, Raven saw a shadow move. Her heart started racing once more. She quietly dropped to the floor, in case that was the thief's silhouette, and tried to hide behind the desk. Quietly, Raven stuffed the letter into the pocket of her nightgown and listened for the source of the sound. Then, Raven's blood turned to ice as she noticed that the door was left wide open and he'd know in an instant that she had been there. Horrified, Raven crawled as silently as she could to the door and slid it closed, holding her breath.

Finally, she heard footsteps descending the stairs. Raven didn't dare move a muscle. But the person only answered the door and, noticing no one at the doorway, stepped out into the night. Raven decided this was her chance. She grabbed the knife and left the office, closing the door behind her and checking to be sure that it had locked itself once more. Sure enough, it had. Raven then crept to the kitchen to return the knife, thankful that she was once again in a safe area.

She paused a moment to catch her breath when candlelight flickered on from behind her. Raven whirled around, knocking a plate to the floor and shattering it. Raven looked to see that it was the thief standing there in the kitchen doorway. He too, looked surprised to see Raven there. Raven quietly began picking up the pieces to the plate, avoiding his gaze. She was fairly sure that he would know that she had been snooping by now. Raven instantly regretted going through his things, he didn't really press her for information and he let her be. He definitely wasn't the nicest person Raven knew, but she was sure that he would never do what she'd just done.

Ashamed, Raven tried to focus on picking up the pieces and thinking of what to say to the thief when he finally did yell at her.

"Why were you standing in the kitchen in the dark?" asked X.

Raven dropped the shard of glass that was in her hand, accidentally cutting herself. She barely noticed the pain, however, because she was busy internalizing what the thief had just said. He hadn't yelled at her and he was acting perfectly normal. _Does he not know? _

He then crossed over to her and kneeled on the ground at her eye level. Raven found herself frozen in place, wondering why he was so close to her. Raven just looked at him, transfixed, until he picked up her injured hand and began examining it. Raven let out a breath that she didn't know that she'd been holding and watched him examine her injury.

Finally, breaking the silence between them, he said, "Follow me."

He then led her to a room that she hadn't been to before. It looked like a small hospital with infirmary cots and supplies. The thief immediately found the gauze and began wrapping her hand in the material. When satisfied with the bandaging, he gave her instructions on how to prevent the wound from infecting. Raven, however, wasn't really paying attention to what he said. She was curious as to why he was being so helpful. Raven actually liked the way his hand brushed over hers when securing the bandages. It was comfortable. Raven flushed a brilliant red and pushed the thought from her mind. _No. _

She would not allow herself to think such thoughts. There was no way she could fall for the thief, because even if she could justify his stealing, she wouldn't risk her heart that way. He'd never loved anyone, so why would that change where she was concerned? Raven looked up to see the thief had finished speaking.

"Um, right. Okay," answered Raven, nodding with a serious look on her face, pretending that she'd heard every word.

He nodded and then began to leave.

"Hey, um, thanks," she called after him.

He paused briefly before replying, "Anytime, Sunshine."

Raven just watched his retreating figure, wishing that she could think of another reason for him to stay. But, alas, none came to mind so she quietly went back up to her room and, after a bit of internal struggle, decided to read the letter.

In elegant, loopy cursive script, the note read:

_My dearest Xander,_

_I hope all is well with you. Your sisters and I miss you so terribly that words cannot express. When will you be back to visit? Hopefully your training has not erased all vestiges of your family from your mind. We're all doing well here, not much has changed since you left. Your father is still in the navy, he is set to land in Davenport in about a week's time. I've also begun a profession as a seamstress, having more time to myself than ever. Your sisters are all in boarding school, but I've heard that Ruth has recently caught a cold. Nonetheless, she has the greatest doctors in London helping her. Your sisters love their school, and despite being some of the poorest kids there, seem to have found some nice friends. They will be home for Christmas this year, you will too, won't you?_

_Good luck with your training! I hope you know that your father and I are so proud of you! Can't wait to see you!_

_Love,_

_Mom_

Raven looked at the note and concluded that X must be his way of shortening Xander. It was a very peculiar name to say the least, but the more Raven thought about it, the more the name suited him. Raven read the note once more, wondering what Xander was training for. She was also curious about his family, moreso now that she knew something about them. It was difficult to picture X having a family and a normal life prior to being the famous thief, though it was certainly logical. Raven had so much she wanted to ask him, but didn't dare do so.

* * *

Gar had finally found what was causing the ruckus that he was told to investigate. It was a lovely, golden haired girl who appeared to be lost in the woods, stumbling around looking for her carriage, which seemed to run off. Naturally, Gar decided to take her to the mansion. He wasn't about to let the girl die in the wilderness.

Gar grabbed her trunks and led her to the mansion gates. He had her wait on the lawn while he sought out X to explain the situation and make sure it was alright to invite her in and give her a place to stay.

* * *

X returned to the kitchen to finish picking up the shards of glass that were dropped, unable to get Raven's parting words out of his mind. She had thanked him, she wasn't angry or anything. And she thanked him. He knew that he'd wanted to find some way to stop her from hating him, but he never thought that he'd ever hear her say thank-you, at least not to him. And the thought that she did had just made his night.

Then Garfield had to enter.

"Hey, um, there's this one girl I found in the woods. She's really lost and has no place to go, can we take her in for a while?" he stammered.

X just glared at Gar, "You brought her her already, didn't you?"

Garfield nodded, unable to speak.

X heaved a sigh, "Fine, but I want her gone by morning."

Garfield nodded and ran to tell the girl and invite her inside.

* * *

**Okay, let me know what you think of the chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review if you have the chance, they're always greatly appreciated!**

**Also, who do you think Tara should end up with? Let me know in your reviews!**

**~RukiaRae**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone!**

**So I've been having a bit of writer's block recently and I've just pushed off writing for far too long, and I'm sorry about that. I'm back to updating, as I'm sure some of you noticed, and I hope to finish off a few of my fics very soon! I hope you all enjoy this update!**

**~RukiaRae**

Last Chapter:

X just glared at Gar, "You brought her her already, didn't you?"

Garfield nodded, unable to speak.

X heaved a sigh, "Fine, but I want her gone by morning."

Garfield nodded and ran to tell the girl and invite her inside.

**The New Addition**

The next morning, Raven awoke feeling incredibly guilty about snooping through the thief's things, even if he had yet to notice. While getting ready that morning, Raven mentally prepared herself, she was going to find the thief today, return the letter, and apologize profusely.

Raven felt so childish, hunting around his past for things to throw at him for his callous behavior. And while she still didn't like his arrogant attitude, she still knew that she wasn't justified in stealing the letter. The contents of the letter also made her feel worse for Raven knew that giving the letter back to X would re-open the wounds of his now (presumably) dead family. She sighed, the more her mind went over how stupid she was, the less she wanted to own up to her act.

Unwillingly, Raven prolonged the process of getting ready, she just wasn't ready to face him. Even more unsettling was the fact that she didn't know how he would react, and for once, she was nervous about the outcome. Very few people could make Raven nervous about anything, let alone anything that she'd done, however, the thief did just that without even knowing it. The only other person who scared Raven so was her mother. _Thank Azar she doesn't know what I've done, she would've been so disappointed. _

Disappointment. That was the one emotion that Raven thought was worse than anger. Because disappointment meant that she had been held at a higher standard and had acted below herself, which was something she was never proud of. _I just hope that X isn't disappointed in me. _Raven knew that she shouldn't care what he thought of her, but she still couldn't stomp out the weeds of guilt that grew in her mind.

Finally, Raven decided to head downstairs and face the music, she was done putting the torture off. Hesitantly, with her heart pounding rather loudly, Raven peeked into the kitchen. Noticing that Gar and Vic were there, she almost asked where X was, however, a third figure in the room caught her eye. All she noticed from the quick glance was that this girl had long, golden hair, almost like Tara's. She wondered if this girl also worked on the grounds of the mansion.

Just then, X appeared soundlessly in the kitchen, startling Raven when she finally noticed his presence. But X barely paid her any mind, and instead, headed for the girl. It was then that Raven noticed the blindfold that was barely visible beneath the girl's long tresses of hair.

"I've given you a place to stay for the night, but now, you must leave," informed X, "Your things have all been packed up for you. Garfield, the man who found you last night, can point you in the direction of your village."

X turned, ready to leave, but the girl's slight form began to tremble and tears cascaded down her face.

"B-but I have-e n-no wheree else to go-o," the girl choked out through her soft sobs, "I ha-vee n-no f-family a-and li-vve f-far far awayy."

Raven looked at the girl, startled. She knew that voice. But it couldn't be. Besides, Tara still had her family.

"Yo, man, I think we should just let her stay," voiced Vic, "At least for a bit."

"I don't run an orphanage," snapped X, "But fine, she can stay as long as she keeps to herself. Just fill her in on the rules."

X then grabbed a mug and decided to make a quick cup of coffee.

"So, what are the rules?" asked the girl in a chipper voice, turning around to reveal the face of Tara Anders.

Raven's eyes widened imperceptibly, however, she was completely shocked. _What is she doing here? And why would she lie about her family?_

Raven desperately wanted to ask her if Kori and her mother were both alright, just to be sure. Still, she didn't feel like calling her friend out on her lie just yet, and asking about the welfare of her family would imply that Tara didn't live nearly as 'far far away' as everyone had been led to think. Still, Raven hoped that Tara's family tragedy was a lie too.

Unbeknownst to Raven, who was completely occupied with her own thoughts, X was analyzing her reaction and noticed the flicker of recognition that passed Raven's face as soon as the girl turned around. Keeping to himself, he wondered why Raven hadn't announced the fact that she knew this girl. He also got the feeling that this girl was lying about something, and he really didn't like having her around. Still, he could probably avoid her in the large mansion, and well, if Raven knew her and didn't object to her presence, she couldn't be all that bad...right?

Thankfully, Garfield, oblivious as ever, broke the awkward silence by telling her the same rules as he had told Raven a few days earlier.

"So basically, there are no names here besides me and Vic's, you're supposed to keep that and other personal information to yourself. Also, don't go where you aren't allowed and just keep to yourself."

Tara nodded, _Damn this is going to be a bit more difficult than I thought, no personal information? Hm...well at least he knows my family is 'dead', it's certainly a start._

"Okay," agreed Tara, but knowing that she had no intention of upholding any of those rules. She had to get him to like her, how could she do that by following his rules? Besides, he was a thief who broke all of the rules, surely his rules were merely a test of some sort, one that she hoped to pass with flying colors.

"Okay I'll take you on a tour of the place and Vic will move your bags to your room, okay?" asked Garfield. She nodded, extending her arm for Garfield to take. Finally, they both exited the room, followed shortly by Vic.

Raven found that she was all alone with the thief, but she really didn't want to talk about the letter just yet. Just as she was about to confess, however, X began to speak.

"How do you know her?"

"What?" asked Raven, confused by his conclusion.

"The new girl, how do you know her. I saw your face, you definitely know her, don't lie to me," he stated cooly, calling her bluff.

Raven sighed, he certainly was good at what he did.

"She lives in my village. I was really good friends with her sister, Kori, she was sent here last year, but we've been friends for years. Tara and I have been friends too, I suppose, though we've never been nearly as close," informed Raven, instantly regretting the fact that she provided Tara's name. She definitely saw him flinch when the name was mentioned, _oops. _

X chuckled to himself, he had a hard time picturing Kori and Raven being friends. They were both so different, complete opposites. Still, he was happy that she wasn't good friends with this Tara too, his instincts told him that she wasn't to be trusted, and well, he learned over the years to always trust his instincts.

"Why didn't you call her on her lie?" asked X, curiosity permeating his voice.

"Well, I wanted to find out the real reason she was here and evaluate it myself. Besides, I can't be sure yet that she's entirely lying, though I certainly hope that's the case," explained Raven.

X nodded, it made sense that she would want to be sure that her friend, this girl's sister, was actually okay before moving forward. X sipped at his lukewarm coffee, trying to put a finger on just what was so _odd _about this new girl.

Raven noticed his intense concentration and was reluctant to pull him from his reverie.

"Um, I kind of need to talk to you about something," began Raven, who began wringing her hands in nervousness.

X turned to look at her and nearly laughed at her shyness, she appeared to be a completely different person from the hot-tempered Raven he'd grown accustomed to. She currently reminded of a child who sorely misbehaved, waiting for their rightful punishment.

"Yeah, what's the matter?"

Raven felt the weight of the guilt suffocate her, he was already ready to help with whatever problem she had. He even sounded...concerned.

"I, ah, kind of took something...of yours. I'm really sorry, and I know it was wrong. I was angry and wanted to get back at you, and I'm so sorry," she stated, her voice barely above a whisper.

At her apology, X's face hardened. _Just what did she take? _He had been so preoccupied with this new girl that he was shocked to discover that he had overlooked something so big as a missing item of his. Even more shocking was the fact that she had taken it right from under his nose.

"Just give it back," he said, trying to reign in the anger in his voice. Raven flinched visibly.

Cautiously, Raven pulled the letter from a pocket in her dress and held it out to him, refusing to make eye-contact with him.

X looked at the old letter with a mixture of surprise and pain. He had misplaced the letter years ago and thought that another one of the girls had stolen it. He thought he had lost that part of his family forever. It was the last letter from his family, the raids from the villagers had destroyed the rest. He took the envelope out of her pale hand, the joyful feeling of having it back again pushing his anger away.

"Thank-you," he muttered.

Raven looked up, clearly surprised by this reaction.

"What?"

"I said, 'Thank-you', don't tell me you're going deaf already," he answered, his playful attitude back again.

Raven almost slipped into her usual scowl, but recalled that she was actually being let off fairly leniently, and instead smiled softly.

"Whatever," she stated monotonously, blowing off X's smart-ass comment before turning to leave the room.

"Hey, Sunshine," he called to her retreating figure.

She huffed at the name, but turned around to show that she was, in fact, listening.

"Don't go through my things again," he said sternly.

Raven nodded, "I won't...Promise."

She had definitely learned her lesson. No more prying. Raven turned once again and set off for Tara's room, eager to question her friend. On her way to her room, Raven reflected on the interaction she'd had with X throughout the entire morning and she was surprised to honestly say that she didn't want to strangle him at all that morning. He was even serious when asking her about Tara, a side of him that she hadn't known existed. She smiled to herself, maybe she could survive her stay here.

* * *

Richard lie awake in his bed, thinking of his night with Kori. Last night, as promised, he had picked her up by 6 o' clock. Prior to picking her up, he cooked a lovely meal at his house, silently thanking his butler, Alfred, for making him learn culinary skills as a child. He then picked her up and was stunned by how beautiful she looked. Sure, Richard had dated several other beautiful women before, but she was somehow different. She radiated beauty somehow, she was almost surrounded by a pleasant glow. He was surprised, but definitely happy. And he could tell she was ecstatic to see his house and have a meal that he had cooked.

She even seemed surprised that he knew how to cook, a thought that made Richard chuckle. And while Richard had gleaned some new information about the thief, he still had a pleasant time on their...date. He truly liked her company and thought of soliciting her for another date tomorrow night. Richard decided to go to her house and ask before returning to his mansion for more training and to record what he'd learned of the thief.

While getting ready, Richard cursed the fact that there were no maids or butlers who'd arrived yet. He hoped they would arrive soon, he hated having to cook his own breakfast and retrieve his own water for his morning bath. However, once he was finally ready, Richard was excited. And while Kori wore her emotions on her sleeve, meaning that Richard knew that she liked him a lot, he still couldn't subdue the nervous feeling inside him. He quickened his pace until he finally reached her house and knocked on her door.

He was startled to see her red, puffy eyes and tear stricken face when she answered, however. He thought she would be happier, for some reason he couldn't think of what could bring her spirit down. And now that she was depressed, he felt the need to restore her spirit to the way it was-jubilant.

"What's wrong, Kor?" he asked gently.

"M-my s-sisterr is g-g-gone," she sobbed.

"_What?" _Richard definitely hadn't seen that one coming.

"S-she's gone a-alongg with h-her t-t-things."

This statement brought a whole new set of tears from Kori, who couldn't fathom why her sister would run away without informing her.

Richard could see her control crumbling and stepped into the threshold of her house, enveloping her in a hug. Kori clung to his strong frame and allowed herself to cry in his chest.

"We'll find her, don't worry. Any ideas where she could've went?"

Kori looked up at him, her large emerald eyes shining with hope.

"Well...," she began, "I think I may know."

After telling Richard what she thought happened, they both began to devise a plan to 'rescue' Tara. Kori was incredibly grateful for Richard's support and knew that their plan couldn't fail. She knew it wouldn't be long before she was joyfully reunited with her sister once more.

* * *

**Okay, I hope you all liked this chapter! It's a bit shorter than the others, but it mainly serves as a transition chapter. It will definitely get more intense in a chapter or two :) Please, please review!**

**~RukiaRae**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey Everyone, I'm back. Just went through yet another move and now I live in Michigan. Because of that, I've been gone and way too busy to write. In about a month, I'll be leaving for the United Kingdom to study abroad, which I'm excited for. Because I won't have a lot of time then, I hope to have my stories finished before I leave (which is in early September). Sorry about the absence and hope you all enjoy this chapter! **

**And now, Chapter 8!**

Last Chapter:

"We'll find her, don't worry. Any ideas where she could've went?"

Kori looked up at him, her large emerald eyes shining with hope.

"Well...," she began, "I think I may know."

After telling Richard what she thought happened, they both began to devise a plan to 'rescue' Tara. Kori was incredibly grateful for Richard's support and knew that their plan couldn't fail. She knew it wouldn't be long before she was joyfully reunited with her sister once more.

* * *

**Complications**

Richard felt uncomfortable in his formal attire. He was garbed in light colored breeches, a dark brown dress coat and a high jabot. Richard seldom wore formal attire, however, today he would be addressing the Council of Elders and needed their support to lead a campaign against the thief. Only yesterday he and Kori made a shocking conclusion-Tara had gone to try and rescue Raven. He meant to plead with the council to finally drive the thief from his mansion. They knew where he lived and greatly outnumbered him.

After reading _Azarathean History_, he knew that he needed to speak to the village elders about why the previous raids didn't work. Maybe he would find a way to succeed where the other raids failed. And now with Tara missing, and Raven in the mansion, they'd be willing to entertain the idea of one last raid.

Pushing aside his doubts, Richard pushed open the tall oak doors to the court building, the same building where the girls were selected each year to visit the thief. The court building was the nicest building in the village (and the only building that could house the entire village comfortably) and where most important events were held. Consequently, this was where the village elders held town meetings. Normally town meetings were open to the public, but this time, only a select few of the village were selected to attend due to the subject matter. Richard had called upon the elders yesterday, personally sending a sealed letter briefly outlining the material he hoped to discuss.

As soon as he entered, the slim, slouched figure of the head of the Village Counsel beckoned Richard to pass to the front of the grand room. He then sat in his comfortable chair on an elevated dais, with his 12 colleagues seated in identical chairs to his right and left. They all looked at Richard with calculating gazes.

"Speak," demanded the head of the Village Counsel.

"As you know from the letter I sent, Tara has gone missing," began Richard, addressing the few members in the room, "Most likely, to rescue her friend Raven. Putting herself at risk. For years the village has sent maidens to the thief, but to no avail. He has yet to fall in love with anyone and just robs them of most of their things. Clearly we need to change our strategy, because he's seen through this ploy."

Richard paused a moment, allowing the information to sink in, before continuing with is fervent speech.

"We need to go on the offensive. I've read the book _Azarathean History_, and while I know all of the past raids haven't worked, I propose we conduct one last raid. However, to insure its success, I propose we just assemble a small, elite group of hunters. This small group should avoid tipping the thief off to our presence by being discreet and sneaking into the mansion at night, smuggling out the captives and detaining the thief."

Once Richard finished his passionate speech, the thin frame of the head of the Village Counsel rose.

"Thank-you for your thoughts on this matter. We will take a small recess discuss your proposal and reconvene in one hour."

Richard nodded, taking a seat on one of the benches next to a badly disheveled Kori. He could see the bags under her eyes from the sleepless night she'd had and allowed her to rest in his arms, hoping to comfort her. Holding on to Kori he came to the realization that he wanted to find this thief now more to comfort her. He obviously wanted to prove himself, but now he felt..._angry_ that the thief would make her so distraught. _He better hope I'm not the one who finds him..._

* * *

Tara heard a soft knock at her door. Thinking it was X, she called "Come in!" in her most chipper voice. However, the figure that entered her room was Raven, her childhood friend. _I should have expected her to come sooner or later..._

"Hey," greeted Raven uncertainly.

"Hi, something you need?" asked Tara, her former happiness gone from her voice.

"It's not true what you said, is it?" she asked, her face betraying her frazzled emotions.

"What? About the fact that my family died?" Asked Tara in a soft voice.

"...Yeah. Please tell me they're okay," begged Raven.

"I'm sorry Raven. They both died in the fire that overtook our house," lied Tara, tears pouring down her cheeks. _Azar forgive me _thought Tara.

"Oh Azar," cried Raven, her hand flying up to her mouth. She was at a loss for words. _It can't be..._

Tara watched Raven silently try to take control of her emotions. Tara thought Raven would cry in front of her, but Raven managed a strangled "Excuse me" before fleeing from the room.

Tara frowned, she was supposed to get the thief and be happy, so why was it all turning out to be so much more complicated than that?

Lost in thought, she barely missed the quiet knock at her chamber door.

"Come in," she said forlornly.

In walked the boy who worked on the grounds, the one with the grass-stained eyes that found her in the night.

"Are you okay?" he blurted out.

She gave him a small smile, "Yeah, I'll be okay. Thanks."

He grinned at her, "No problem. Do you want to come down to the kitchen and have some food?"

Until now, Tara hadn't realized that she was, in fact, starving.

"Sure," she replied with a grin of her own. She couldn't help the happiness that infused inside her, Garfield was the first man who had noticed _her _and wanted to hang out with her. _No, I need to stay focused on my objective. Garfield won't make the town love me or crown me the prettiest girl, the thief will.._

* * *

Raven burst into the study, the blindfold covering her tear-stricken face.

"Are you in here?" asked Raven, mentally cursing her voice for wobbling.

She heard the clunk of a heavy object being put down.

"Are you okay?" came X's deep voice, all traces of joking gone.

"No," said Raven before a new wave of sobs overtook her. Without thinking, X rushed to her side and held her as she wept, playing with her hair as he waited for her tears to subside.

Not long after, Raven collected herself. Before she could do or say anything, however, X deftly removed the blindfold on her face and placed his hand under her chin, angling her face upward. Raven's face flushed crimson and for a terrifying moment, she thought he would kiss her. But instead, he softly asked "She wasn't lying, was she?"

It took Raven a moment to process her thoughts after seeing X's face for the first time. His eyes were the color of liquid gold, warm and inviting. They perfectly complemented the natural amber highlights in his mussed, brown hair. Raven barely managed a nod.

After a small moment of silence, she whispered, "They're dead."

"Wait here for a moment," said X, a twinge of sadness in his voice. He then untangled himself from Raven and rushed out of the room. For once, Raven was sad to see him go. He was, apart from her mother, the only person to see her cry, to see her frazzled and angry. And, despite his constant antics, she realized that some small part of her cared about him and did not wish to leave.

Interrupting her thoughts, X slipped back into the room. Raven glimpsed a shimmer of silver in his left hand, but dared not ask what it was.

After a few moments of silence, Raven finally asked, "Why are you showing me your face?"

X laughed, "Well, you already know my name, so I figured the damage was done. Not to mention, it's difficult to console someone when all they can see is darkness."

Raven nodded, "Well, thank-you. Really."

X smiled, "Of course, Sunshine."

Another lapse into silence. Raven was unsure of how to ask what she wanted. After drawing a deep breath, and working up the courage, she opened up her mouth to speak, but X was faster.

"I know what you want. Go. Pay your respects to the family," he said sadly, "But now that you're leaving, there's no sense in you coming back. I'll have your things delivered to the village."

Raven nodded, "Thank-you. For everything."

She turned to leave but felt his hand lightly grab her arm. She spun around, her gaze locking with his. Raven could feel her heart thumping loudly, drowning out all other noise. She felt his hand reach up, and with stunning delicacy, rest at the nape of her neck. Her breath caught in her throat.

He was too close and she could feel her thoughts spilling everywhere. She tried to marshall them back into place, but before she could regain coherence, his mouth descended on hers. Her eyes widened in shock. She moved her hands, lightly pressing them against his chest as a futile way to push him back. However, she couldn't stop herself from melting into his embrace and returning the kiss.

X finally released her, his hands lightly holding her waist while she regained herself. Raven turned, head held low to hide the blush that stained her cheeks, staggering for the safety of the doors, she needed to be away from him. Everywhere he touched felt like a fire had ben set. Before she could completely exit the room, she felt his hands around her waist. He lightly placed her father's locket in her hand before whispering, "Goodbye, Raven."

He then turned away from her and went back to the desk, presumably to attend to what he had been doing before she interrupted. Ignoring the goosebumps she got from his farewell, Raven awkwardly left, trying not to stumble over her dress. She was so preoccupied with leaving with some dignity that she couldn't say anything in response_._

Unbeknownst to both of them, Victor had seen part of the exchange, a knowing smile on his face.

* * *

"We've come to a conclusion," rang the voice of the Ageless General through the austere court room.

Both Richard and Kori perked up, waiting to hear the verdict.

"We have decided that such a raid would be pointless and too costly for the village to endure. We will stick with the status quo," he finished, not looking the least bit guilty for condemning the two ladies to imprisonment.

Kori muffled her sobs and tried to keep the tears from staining her pink silk dress as Richard escorted her out.

"W-what a-are we go-oing t-to d-do?" she asked between sobs.

Looking at Kori extremely distressed made a protective urge swell inside him.

"No, we're not giving up. I'll go myself and find your sister and your friend," he responded with conviction.

Kori's eyes glimmered with hope, "Really?"

"Yes. There are few hours of precious daylight left, so I'll leave tomorrow."

Kori beamed, "Thank-you so much, Richard!"

Kori threw her arms around him in sheer joy.

"Anything for you," he mumbled while locked in her strong hug. If she'd heard, she made no mention of it when they'd broke apart.

"I have to go prepare, Kor. I'll send for you in the morning before I leave, okay?"

"Good luck!" Kori cried to his retreating figure. She was unable to contain the smile from spreading across her face. With Richard, she felt safe. He would protect her friends and family. He would set everything right.

* * *

Xander sat at his desk, contemplating the events of earlier. He had no idea what possessed him to act so rashly, probably the knowledge that he'd never see her again. He couldn't help the sadness he'd felt after her departure, his mansion seemed so empty without her. He'd tried everything to get her off his mind, but to no avail. It seemed the kiss had made his scant control slip further. _ I can not afford to linger on her, the price is much too high..._He shook his head, a vain attempt to gather his thoughts. _What's wrong with you, pull yourself together..._

In the midst of his thoughts, the other girl, Tara, entered the room, thankfully blindfolded. He made a mental note that he'd have to be more careful about keeping the doors closed when he was in a room. She wore a dress of pale yellow silk with dainty emerald earrings. She looked like summer, as happy as summer. _She looks pretty great for someone who's lost her family.._

X narrowed his eyes, something wasn't right with her.

"Admiring the view?" asked Tara in a sultry voice.

"What are you playing at?" he asked harshly.

"Whatever do you mean?" asked Tara, innocently.

"You're hiding something."

"So are you," she retorted, "Everyone has a secret or two."

X sighed, "Please leave me."

Dejectedly, Tara but did as she was told. It would not do to anger him, and something about him seemed like he needed the time to himself. He seemed like he was coming...undone. Could she be the reason? _I need to go behind enemy lines...maybe Gar can help me get to know X better...Then I can make sure to win his heart.._

* * *

**Hey, hope you all liked the chapter! Things are finally getting interesting. Let me know what you think with a review! Thanks!**

**~RukiaRae**


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow, I'm surprised and glad about all the positive reviews from last chapter...I wasn't sure if adding the kiss in that last chapter was too sudden or not...guess not :P But anyway, I've decided to write this next chapter because this is one of my favorite stories to write :) Anyway, hope you all enjoy!**

**And now, **

**Chapter 9!**

X sighed, "Please leave me."

Dejectedly, Tara but did as she was told. It would not do to anger him, and something about him seemed like he needed the time to himself. He seemed like he was coming...undone. Could she be the reason? _I need to go behind enemy lines...maybe Gar can help me get to know X better...Then I can make sure to win his heart.._

* * *

**Realization**

Despite the fact that darkness blanketed the forest, Raven pushed on. She needed to get back to the village and confirm her worst fears. Part of her was still in denial, hoping to arrive and see Kori and her parents perfectly fine. But she'd heard from Tara's own lips that this would not be the case, but she couldn't begin to picture the village without her best friend.

Raven did her best not to think about what she would face upon entering the village, but that only left one other thought. _Him. _

She couldn't stop the goosebumps from forming at remembering the way his parting words ghosted her neck. Not to mention the way he kissed her, it was- _No, stop. It meant nothing to him..._

She was glad in that regard for her dismissal, she had no idea how she'd ever be able to interact normally with him again after that. Thankfully, she wouldn't have to.

Taking a deep breath, Raven continued hurriedly to the village. She hated being in the forest alone with her own thoughts. For once, she couldn't stand being alone. She felt like she was slowly unhinging.

* * *

Kori had barely slept the night before. She was nervous about what the day would bring. For once, she began to have her doubts, sure her friend and sister were missing, but when she was there last year, the thief showed no inclination toward violence. Was it right sending Richard to retrieve her friends knowing that he'd probably duel the thief? The more she thought about it, the more it unsettled her.

If they **did **duel, it was likely that one of them would die. And she didn't want that to happen to either of them.

Richard's soft knock broke her reverie. She padded over to the door, allowing him to into her house.

"Rich, I'm not sure you should go," she began tentatively, eyeing the sword clipped to his waist,"I have no doubt that Tara has gone to save Raven, but I don't think she understands that he's not a violent person. He would let Tara leave, and in time, Raven as well."

He planted a reassuring kiss on her lips, "I'll go to bring Raven and Tara back and will not engage in a fight unless he insists, okay?"

Kori nodded, satisfied that she had done her best, "Thank-you."

Richard nodded, claiming one last kiss from Kori before heading out to the edges of the forest.

As he approached the fringes of the forest, he saw the silhouette of a petite woman. As she neared, he could see that she looked worn out. The hem of her dress was caked in mud and her violet eyes were bloodshot. What was even more peculiar was the fact that the sun was just reaching its pale fingers over the horizon and no one else was out.

"Are you okay miss?" he asked with a concerned smile, unease evident in his voice. She looked like she had been to hell and back. Not to mention, he hadn't seen her in the village until now.

His question seemed to startle her, "I'm fine, thanks."

Richard nodded and continued on his path.

* * *

Apart from the interruption from a new townsman, Raven's journey to Kori's house passed without event. She was surprised to find it still standing given that Tara said they'd died in a fire. _Perhaps they died in another building?_

Raven hesitantly walked up to the door, knocking. She didn't know what she expected, maybe to be received by a distant relative, but she wasn't prepared for what happened next.

In a flash, Kori answered the door and embraced her friend in one of her classic bear hugs.

"YOU'RE BACK FRIEND!"

Kori didn't realize anything was amiss until she heard Raven's soft sobs. Breaking the hug, she asked, "What's the matter?"

"I t-thought you-u were d-d-dead," she choked out, "you a-and your p-p-parents." Kori hugged her friend once more, finally taking in Raven's haggard appearance.

"Why ever would you think that? We're all fine," answered Kori soothingly.

Raven nodded numbly, "The traveler must have gotten it wrong, is all. I'm so sorry about this, Kor."

Raven couldn't bring herself to tell Kori about Tara's lie.

"It's okay friend. Has Tara come back with you as well?" asked Kori, looking about for her golden haired sister.

At the mention of Tara, Raven involuntarily tensed up. _When I find her, she's going to wish she was never born...How could she?_

Tempering her emotions, Raven calmly answered, "No, she stayed behind."

"Really? But she went there to save you..," trailed off Kori.

Looking her best friend in the eye, Raven said, "I don't know why she showed up, but it definitely had nothing to do with me. I left of my own accord."

It was the closest way for Raven to tell Kori that her sister was a liar. However, she refused to break Kori's heart by telling her how serious the lies went.

Kori nodded, taking in this new information.

"Well, she'll be back soon anyway." At seeing her friend's confusion, Kori added "We'll talk about it later, after you've slept some. You can sleep in Tara's bed, you look like you could use the rest. And a bath as well."

Raven chuckled, accepting her friend's offer. Despite all of her swirling thoughts and emotions, sleep claimed her quickly.

* * *

She awoke from the clang of plates and silverware. Curious, she went down to the kitchen in her nightdress, not bothering to get ready beforehand. Cautiously, she peeked into the entrance to see Garfield cooking.

"Need any help with that?" Tara asked pleasantly.

She chuckled when Garfield almost dropped a plate in surprise.

"Heh, I was actually about to bring this up to you," he said uneasily, a slight tinge forming across his green cheeks.

"Wow, I don't know what to say. Thanks," she replied, genuinely touched by this gesture.

Silently, she dug into the concoction, not caring that it was made from tofu.

"So...what's your story?" she asked in attempt to break the awkward silence, "how'd you come to work here?"

Garfield looked at her nervously, but decided to trust her.

"Well, when I was young, I had a terrible fever," began Garfield, "I would have died if not for the herbs and sorcery of one maegi. However, her healing had the after-effect of making me look green. She looked genuinely surprised at the reaction I had, apparently I was the only one who changed so noticeably or dramatically. My parents got angry, attacked her, and she killed them. I stayed with the other villagers over the years, but it wasn't the same. They always avoided me or regarded me strangely."

"Wow, I'm so sorry about that. That must've been awful," interrupted Tara. She genuinely felt sorry for him.

"Yeah. Eventually I got tired of it and left."

"Where'd you go?" asked Tara, completely engrossed in the tale.

"To these woods. Lived here for about a year before stumbling on this place. Knowing that I wouldn't get a job elsewhere, Xa- X took me in, out of pity I guess," finished Gar, looking at Tara to gauge her reaction.

She stared, dumbfounded, "I'm flattered that you shared this with me, but why would you tell me all of this? I barely know you."

Gar shrugged, "I guess I figured you'd understand, having lost your family too."

Tara sighed.

"What's wrong?" asked Gar, gazing at her with determination in his eyes, intent on helping her.

"I lied," she said, avoiding his gaze.

"_What?_" asked Garfield.

"Let me explain," she pleaded.

Gar looked at her expectantly, "Go ahead."

Before she could stop herself, her words began pouring out, "It's just that no one likes me. In the village, if you get sent here, you're considered gorgeous. It's been forever, and I've never been picked. Do you know what that's like? My little sister was picked over me. If getting picked makes you gorgeous in town, making him fall in love would make you legendary. So I have to do it."

Gar looked at her, his gaze filled with pity, "Of course I know what it's like to feel rejected and unloved. But you don't have to do this to prove a point. And even if you make him fall in love with you, will you love him back? And how will you tell him about this, you can't lie to him forever."

"Look, none of this matters," she replied, an edge to her voice, "He is the way to solve my problems. Don't get involved unless you intend to help."

Then she got up and stormed out of the kitchen. Gar shook his head, hoping she'd realize what a big mistake she was making.

* * *

When Raven awoke a few hours later, she lay in bed thinking. _Should I go back and tell him about Tara? I'm not sure I can handle being around him, though...Ugh, don't be ridiculous, it was only a kiss, and not your first one, so pull yourself together..._

Raven went to take a bath to give herself time to think. But, inevitably, her thoughts returned to the kiss with X. She'd only been kissed by one other person, Malchior, a visitor from Bludhaven, a town several weeks away from Azarath. He'd stayed for the entire winter courting her, but then he'd received 'urgent news' and needed to go back to his village. Turns out, when she took the time to visit him, he was busy chasing after another girl from a rich family, and she was completely forgotten. When she had confronted him, he dismissed her, saying how she shouldn't have bothered and that it all meant nothing.

Raven closed her eyes, trying to push back the pain of those memories, but they resisted. _Malchior was only toying with you, and so was X. _

Angry with herself for being stupid, she splashed out of the tub and decided to get ready. _So much for that brilliant idea, looks like being alone with my thoughts is still not a good idea. Azar help me..._

After making herself look presentable, Raven found Kori in the kitchen, making a snack of cheese and bread. Raven, glad for the presence of her optimistic friend, ate the food greedily, famished.

Kori laughed, "Slow down, it's not going anywhere."

Raven smiled, but stuffed her face anyway.

"Kori, I think I'm going to go back. There are some things that he needs to know," explained Raven.

Kori nodded, commenting "You should change to a clean dress."

Raven shook her head, "I can't waste too much time, I'd like to be out of the forest by dark. Not to mention a new dress would get just as dirty by the time I got back."

Taking one last nibble from a piece of bread, Raven headed outside, Kori in tow.

Raven shot a questioning look at Kori that read 'what are you doing?'.

"I'm going with you to the edge of the forest, to say a proper goodbye," replied Kori to the silent question.

Raven mumbled her thanks and both friends walked silently side-by-side until they reached the edge of the forest. What neither of them expected, however, was the village smith to be standing sentry. Despite the fact that he was at least a foot taller and weighed twice her weight, Raven scowled openly at him.

"What's going on?" asked Raven, annoyed.

He shrugged, "Dunno, was asked by the Village Counsel to stay here for a few hours to keep people from wandering into the forest and to receive those who come back." He gave her an odd look, _probably wondering when I got back from the thief's house._

"Why, though?" asked Kori, perplexed.

"My guess is that it has something to do with that brat, Richard, taking off on his own," he answered gruffly, "Now you two would best be on your way back."

The two girls turned to leave, but Kori stopped, "It's all my fault, Rae."

"What is?" asked Raven, confused as to what turned her jubilant friend sour so quickly.

"Richard. I asked him to go. I wanted you both back safe," mumbled Kori.

Raven looked at Kori, unable to keep the shock off her petite features.

"First of all, who is Richard how does he plan to rescue Tara?"

Involuntarily, her mind recalled the stranger she'd passed on the way to Kori's. _That was probably him..._

"Richard came to the village not long after you left. He's the son of a wealthy businessman and we've been, well, seeing one another," finished Kori with an awkward cough.

"Congrats, really, I'm happy for you Kor," began Raven, "But that still doesn't answer my question of how he plans to do this."

Kori shrugged, "I don't know what he's planning, but I told him not to attack the thief unless provoked."

At this comment, Raven's pale skin grew paler. She couldn't help the panic that set in her. Sure X was rude and didn't like her, but Raven couldn't deny, especially now, caring about him.

"Oh no," was all she could say.

At Kori's bewildered expression, Raven quickly collected her thoughts so she'd be able to explain her fear much more articulately.

"X has a...well, a talent for pushing people's buttons. Surely you remember," explained Raven.

At this, Kori's eyes widened. She'd forgotten about that. Both girls turned around to see the smith still standing there with his forging hammer in hand, feeling helpless.

"What are we to do?" wailed Kori, "I'm so sorry. I only meant to get you both back. I didn't think that they'd block access to the forest or that any harm would befall anyone."

"It's not your fault, Kor," answered Raven automatically, though her dejectedness permeated her voice.

Kori examined her friend, feeling depressed. _She likes him, and I may have ruined it all..._

A few moments later, Kori brightened.

"We just need to wait for the right guard. He can't guard it all day and I'm sure Roy will be watching at some point. When he does, I'm sure he'll let you through if I ask!"

"Thanks, Kor. But we don't know when he'll be asked to guard, chances are Richard will have gotten there by then," sighed Raven.

"It's our best option. Go back home and pack up a few things that you may need, only a small bag, and be ready to leave whenever," replied Kori.

"Okay," responded Raven with a resolute nod, heading off to her home.

It felt good to do something and put her restless energy to use.

* * *

Tara cursed her mouth. Why did she have to reveal to Garfield everything that she had been plotting for? It was such a stupid thing to do. She was sure he wouldn't tell, he was much too nice for that, but he probably wouldn't help her find out anything else about X. He had almost slipped his name out at breakfast, Tara had noticed, but that was the extent of the information she was able to draw. That and he took in strays.

She sighed knowing that Garfield was her best chance to get any insight. Victor was too protective, too cautious. And now she'd lost her best informant. _Time to do this the old fashioned way..._

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter as well! Review if you have the time, I appreciate hearing anything you all have to say about the story!**

**Thanks!**

**~RukiaRae**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone!**

**I'm back from the United Kingdom and finally have some time to update. I know I've been getting quite a few reviews asking me to finish Odds and Ends and Broken first, so I'm going to start with those. If you have any other stories you're dying to read, pm me with the ones you want me to finish first. :)**

**Now, without further ado, the next chapter to Odds and Ends!**

* * *

Tara cursed her mouth. Why did she have to reveal to Garfield everything that she had been plotting for? It was such a stupid thing to do. She was sure he wouldn't tell, he was much too nice for that, but he probably wouldn't help her find out anything else about X. He had almost slipped his name out at breakfast, Tara had noticed, but that was the extent of the information she was able to draw. That and he took in strays.

She sighed knowing that Garfield was her best chance to get any insight. Victor was too protective, too cautious. And now she'd lost her best informant. _Time to do this the old fashioned way..._

* * *

**Help**

"Hey man, brought you some food. You're not looking so good," stated Victor in a tone that was both commanding and gentle. Nodding, Xander took the meal that was offered and set it down on his dark oak desk, away from the stray papers.

"Anything else?" he asked distractedly, staring off into the distance.

Taking the opportunity, Vic took a step toward the thief and asked, "Have you been okay? You seem out of it, Gar and I are concerned."

"I'm fine," he snapped, "It's just Tara. I don't trust her."

"If you say so," sighed Vic, not believing in his justification. Vic hadn't yet told Gar about the kiss between Raven and Xander that had occurred the previous day, concerned that his green friend would make the situation worse by accidentally slipping somehow and revealing that they knew. Vic understood that this was a delicate situation and that it was something that Xander would have to figure out on his own.

Vic just wished he wasn't in such a foul mood. Lately, Xander had been snapping at everyone and barely left his office. Vic sighed, he needed to think of a way to pull Xander out of his rut. Xander was not the type of person to go to his friends for help, even if it was clear he needed it. _Typical Xander._

After returning to the kitchen, Vic absentmindedly cleaned up the mess he'd made cooking Xander's favourite meal-porridge with toast and fruit. Eventually, somewhere after cleaning the kettle that hung over the fire and washing some stray plates, Victor came up with a brilliant plan. A plan that was made much easier by the fact that Xander was dejected and flaky lately. Surely, Vic thought, he'd be able to borrow Xander's enchanted belt. It was hung in his room and Xander appeared not to be leaving the office anytime soon. _Perfect._

* * *

Back at her house, Raven moved with speed, quickly changing her clothes and packing a small bag with some food in case they should have to wait some time. Raven quickly returned to her room, doing a quick sweep to make sure she had everything she needed. She nodded to herself, satisfied that she had everything.

She placed on her warmest cloak since it was likely they'd be waiting outside for awhile and was picking up their snack bundle when she heard a knock at her house door.

"Coming!" Raven called, putting down the food items so as not to tip anyone off about her plans to leave the village.

Cursing whoever had the terrible timing to show up now, Raven answered the door.

"Hey, can I come in?" the deep, baritone voice asked.

Shocked, Raven stepped aside to let Victor enter.

"How did you get here?" Raven inquired, incredulous.

Victor pointed to a black belt embroidered with what appeared to be a large red 'X'.

"It's an enchanted belt," Victor explained, "X stole it from a mage years ago. He used it to escape during the village raids. It allows the wearer to transcend the normal boundaries of space and travel anywhere, so long as they have a vague idea of where they want to go."

"Oh no!" exclaimed Raven, "Victor you have to go back! There's someone coming for Xa- X and he's alone, X may not even realise he's there until it's too late! Take this back to him and tell him to leave _now."_

Victor shook his head.

"You don't understand...," he began, fumbling for the words to describe Xander's behavioural abnormalities.

"It's not important right now, tell me later," exclaimed Raven, hoping Vic would begin to understand how dire the situation was, "This guy who's gone after Xander has trained in martial arts, he's good and X is good at provoking people. This is going to be a disaster if you don't get him to leave."

"He's probably not going to leave," explained Vic.

"_What? _How stupid can he be?" shrieked Raven.

"Pretty stupid. Listen, he hasn't been the same since you left. I'm worried that if it's not you that goes back and has him leave, he'll stay and risk dying. He's kind of miserable," explained Vic.

"There's no way," argued Raven, "But fine. Give me the belt and just stay here until I get back. If Kori, my red-headed friend, knocks at the door, answer it and tell her where I've gone. If you see anyone else outside, don't answer."

Vic nodded before handing Raven the belt.

"Good luck," he called to her as she disappeared from view.

* * *

Richard smiled to himself upon reaching the old mansion. So far, it seemed he had remained undetected, making his job even easier. Plus, all of the plants outside gave him a decent place to hide as he advanced on the house. Everything was going perfectly.

* * *

Xander sat dejectedly in his office, barely touching the food Vic had prepared for him not too long before. He couldn't get the goodbye he'd had with Raven out of his mind. After the kiss, she had ducked and all but ran out of his house. Not to mention, he was aware that she was never coming back. It normally would have been a consolation to never see a girl whom he'd embarrassed himself in front of again, however, with her he felt the need to apologise. Or to say something, anything to remedy what had happened. _How could I be so stupid? She never liked you, and after that, she couldn't wait to get away. Why couldn't I be content with what I had?_

* * *

Raven reached her bedroom in the mansion. She decided to try Xander's room, since from the behaviour that Vic described, it sounded like he hadn't even left his bed. However, this turned out to be a more daunting task than she imagined, there were so many rooms and many were locked. She banged on the doors of many, frantically calling out his name, but to no avail. Giving up, she turned to go to the study downstairs. In her haste, she collided with Xander as he was leaving his office.

Grunting, Xander stood, ready to yell at the fool who got in his way. However, he was completely unprepared to see Raven standing there.

"How-?" he began, but Raven grabbed his hand and dragged him to the kitchen, telling him there was no time to explain while silently cursing herself for not bringing the snacks she had prepared at home along with her. Quickly, she grabbed the 2 loaves of bread sitting on the counter.

At that instant, they both heard a small creak from the front door. Xander looked at Raven, confused, but understood that he needed to be quiet from the look of panic in her eyes. Picking Raven up bridal style, he crept out the back entrance before gingerly placing her on the ground. Both of them then took off for the stables.

Much to their dismay, they saw Gar trying to teach Tara how to ride horseback, and Tara failing miserably. This was not the time for someone who didn't know how to horseback ride. Not to mention, Tara would now know how X looked, there was no blindfold.

"We have to go," stated Raven firmly.

"Why?" asked Gar, oblivious to the direness of the situation.

"Richard is headed this way with the intent of rescuing Tara, and if possible, me. Tara is his first concern, however. therefore, I propose you stay here Tara and hand yourself in, he might not try to pursue us then," explained Raven before spatting at Tara, "Besides Tara, you have a _very _concerned sister to see."

"No way am I going back," said Tara, haughtily, "If you leave me here, I'll go get this person and point him in your direction."

She knew that by going back she'd have a lot of explaining to do, which she wasn't ready to do just yet. Not until she had the thief.

Raven frowned, seeing no way out of this predicament. As it was, they weren't getting much of a head start, but if he knew just where to look, it'd be even more difficult to escape.

"Do you want to sit there all day and get caught or just agree?" snapped Tara, "Besides, I'll just ride with X and we'll all go much faster."

Unfortunately, it was a solid plan, ignoring the fact that she could have ridden with Garfield, and Raven couldn't protest. She glowered.

However, Xander stepped in.

"No. Raven is supposed to be with me by the order of the village. This guy is only here because you left and stressed out your sister and now he wants to save you," X growled at Tara, "No, I will not have it look like I'm kidnapping you, but rather, that you are with Garfield traveling of your own free will."

Tara glared but decided against threatening to show Richard their path again, she couldn't sound too desperate or too bitchy. And she had no good way to counter that, so she accepted Gar's outstretched hand and sat in front of him, allowing his arms to circle her petite frame. Both Raven and Xander mounted their respective horses, however, there was one left in the stall.

"You know the way, Gar. Same place, hurry there," instructed Xander. Quickly, Xander then dismounted and set the horse loose, hoping it would get away, thus leaving Richard and his party without a mount.

Gar and Tara were gone by the time Xander re-mounted and sped off in another direction, Raven following close behind. At last, he would finally have a moment to apologise and set things right between them.

* * *

**A bit of a short chappie, I know, but I wanted to post something for everyone to read. I'll add more tomorrow, with a bit more background on both Xander and Raven and, of course, more drama.**

**Hope you all liked the chapter!**

**Til tomorrow!**

**~RukiaRae**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey all!**

**Back as promised, so far so good on the New Year's resolution. Don't have much to add, but review if you have the time and let me know your thoughts on how the story is progressing! :)**

**Cheers!**

**~RukiaRae**

"You know the way, Gar. Same place, hurry there," instructed Xander. Quickly, Xander then dismounted and set the horse loose, hoping it would get away, thus leaving Richard and his party without a mount.

Gar and Tara were gone by the time Xander re-mounted and sped off in another direction, Raven following close behind. At last, he would finally have a moment to apologise and set things right between them.

* * *

**Rebuilding**

Richard silently searched all of the open rooms, before breaking down the doors to the locked rooms. Despite his best efforts to remain inconspicuous, the thief and everyone else appeared to be gone. Richard made his way out the back entrance, wandering about until he stumbled across a structure that looked to be a stable. At first glance, Richard thought it was unused, however, upon closer inspection, Richard saw that the stables had been freshly mucked out and that there was fresh hay in the corner. Quite a bit of it, actually. That was how they had escaped, he concluded, by horseback. And it seemed they took all of their mounts with them.

Richard swore, this was quite a predicament. Without a mount he'd surely lose them, unable to match their speed. However, if he returned to the village and got a mount and search party 1) he'd be mocked for his idea's failure and 2) he'd probably fall further behind their party, even if he rode through the nights. Not to mention, they'd be harder to track then, the hoofprints left behind by their horses would likely be erased, eroded away by rain or snow. No, he had to follow them now.

A light snowfall was falling over the landscape, but Richard could still make out two trails of prints. _Doesn't matter which one I follow, they're both likely to lead to the same place._

With that, Richard set off, following the deeper set of hoofprints since that was likely to be Tara sharing a horse with someone, a country girl like her would never have the opportunity to learn how to horseback ride. Before setting off, Richard quickly ran back to the kitchen area and took some of their salted meats, cheeses, and the last loaf of stale looking bread. It was better than having nothing. Satisfied, Richard began the long trek.

* * *

"I'm so tired," whined Tara, "Why can't we just rest for a bit? My legs are so sore."

"We can't. They'll get there before us and they might wonder what happened," consoled Gar.

Tara grunted. It was true that she didn't want to leave Raven and X alone for long, she needed to be extra careful since Raven came back and had been treating the thief with less disdain than she usually did when talking about him in the village.

"Fine, we can ride another hour. But after that, I want a break, and if you have to leave me behind then fine," she snapped, in a peevish mood.

She hoped they'd arrive at their destination in that time, otherwise, despite all of her determination, she knew she'd have to give up and call it quits for the night. She could already feel the chaffs on her thighs from all the friction of riding and her limbs were completely sore. She had no idea how Gar wasn't feeling the same as she was.

* * *

Xander frowned. So far this ride wasn't going at all how he expected. He kept mentally fumbling the words to his apology and was so caught up with that for awhile that they rode on in awkward silence, each unsure of the other. Now that he realised this, awkward silence had reigned for far too long, he had no idea how to start a casual conversation now. His social skills had always been underdeveloped, having only a few lessons from his family and previous life along with the interactions with Gar and Vic, which were very limited in this department.

"So...," he began, trailing off, buying some time to come up with a witty question, "How many people are after us again?"

_Great. Not even in the realm of witty. And not a good conversation starter, way to set things off on the right foot _he mentally chastised.

Surprised, she replied, "Richard. Just him as far as I know."

Then Xander just laughed, "You're kidding, right? We're going through all of this trouble..._for one guy_?"

Raven scowled, "He's dangerous. Besides, Vic mentioned that you had been feeling a bit down and wouldn't be at your best. Not to mention you have a real knack for pissing people off."

Xander grinned, feeling in much better spirits.

"Sooo...what I'm hearing is, you were worried about me?" Asked Xander playfully.

At this, Raven tensed, unsure of what to say. She decided to not answer and hope that he dropped the issue. However, that turned out to be wishful thinking. Not seconds later he said in a sing-songy voice, "Ohhh Raviieee."

"Uh, a little, but...it seems it was wasted, after all it was _just one guy,_" she managed. She then cringed, knowing the last part of her sentence came out a bit more harsh than she intended. Quickly, she mumbled, "Sorry, didn't mean it like that."

Xander smiled, "Don't worry about it. Honestly, I'm glad you're talking to me at all."

She shot him a curious glance.

Xander shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to say what he wanted to. Raven saw his discomfort and allowed him to gather his thoughts. Finally, he began, "Well, just after the unusual goodbye and all...well you seemed unhappy. And I have no idea why I even did that, it was stupid and I'm sorry."

_I have no idea why I even did that, it was stupid. _

His words rang in her head, and somehow, she felt crushed. She had mentally told herself that the kiss meant nothing, but hearing it confirmed somehow was much worse. She mumbled something incoherent before trotting ahead of him. She now couldn't wait until they had arrived.

_I wish I had never come back here _she thought sullenly. She was entertaining the idea of going back, finding Richard, and going home. But for some reason, she never actually did it. _Well, it's a good thought for later, I guess._

* * *

Xander was confused. They had been travelling for the last hour or so in silence, even after he had apologised. As a matter of fact, things seemed worse between them than they did before. He groaned inwardly, unable to fathom what went wrong. He sighed, it was going to be a long trip.

* * *

"That's it, we're taking a break," commanded Tara, despite having no real way to stop their horse.

Gar sighed, "Okay, we'll make camp in the cave up ahead."

Stopping the horse, Gar dismounted and stretched his hand out to Tara, helping her down. They began to set up camp, but by the time they were finished, it was a very poorly done camp. Since it had been snowing, much of the available firewood was wet. Moreover, they had no blankets or fur hides, meaning they only had their cold, wet coats to provide comfort and warmth. Additionally, they had no food or water with them. All in all, they were a sad sight. The only good thing about their shelter was that by staying farther in the cave, they didn't feel the strong winds.

Tara, sore from the horse ride, fell asleep instantly. Gar, however, put his cloak back on and headed out, determined to hunt some food for them. Maybe by tomorrow morning, the snow would stop and have melted, leaving them with decent firewood to cook whatever he caught.

* * *

Richard trotted along on his mare. He'd been incredibly lucky that she whinnied before he had gotten too far. It had taken quite a detour to find the escaped horse and calm her, but the speed she afforded him was irreplaceable. He just hoped that he could keep a decent enough pace to follow them before the snow covered their tracks. It was now that he was also glad for following the deeper hoofprints, he would now be able to see them longer.

Richard pressed on, not allowing himself a moment of break. If he was hungry, he'd deftly slip a piece of the bread out of his saddlebags and quickly wolf it down. He could not afford to lose his prey.

* * *

Kori was all ready, she had even filled Roy in on their plan. So where was Raven? She sighed, fastening her cloak she quickly scurried to her best friend's house. Banging on the door, she was caught by surprise when a half metal giant answered the door. She eeped and almost ran off, however, she then noticed who it was.

"FRIEND!" she cried in excitement.

"I got your friend, Raven, back to the mansion. Come inside quickly before anyone sees me," explained Vic with urgency.

Kori quickly stepped in. Unbeknown to them, someone saw the whole exchange. With an evil grin planted on her face, she wondered just what to do with this information.

* * *

Once settled in the house, Kori addressed her friend.

"Friend, how is it that you arrived here? And snuck Raven out?"

"I borrowed an item from X, it was enchanted allowing the user to transcend the laws of space," explained Vic, "Raven really wanted to let you know she was leaving, but was scared that she was running out of time. She knew you'd be here eventually and asked me to let you in and explain everything to you."

Kori nodded, "Thank-you. You have put my mind at ease. Is that how you function too, by enchantments?"

Vic grimaced, but nodded. He knew she was trying to be nice and start a conversation, but she brought up a painful topic. Sensing this, Kori immediately apologised proffusely.

"Don't worry about it," explained Vic, "It happened years ago. I got some flesh-eating bacteria. I would've died had the sorceress not saved me. She saved me in exchange for me to stay with X and help him out for as long as it took to find a heart and see sense."

Kori nodded, "I am sorry. How have you and Garfield fared?"

"Pretty good, just the same old thing," he answered, "You've been at the mansion, it's not much different than last time."

Kori smiled, "At least you are both well and in good health. How do you plan on getting home, though? Because Roy and I are leaving now for the mansion since he's on guard duty. We're going to see if we can't catch up to Richard and stop him. You can come with us!"

Vic shook his head, "I'd love to, but it's way too early for me. I'd be spotted. No, you'd better go before you lose what's left of the day, I'll sneak back home later."

"I see," she replied, "Well, Arella will be back here not long after sundown. I suggest you get going fairly soon."

"Thanks, Kor. Good luck."

"You too, friend," she said gently before leaving Vic all alone.

Kori pranced down the street, eager to be off with Roy as soon as possible. He had prepared two of his family's horses and taken his bows and arrows along and tied them to a tree about 20 metres in the forest. Kori met him at the edge of town. They both pretended to be chatting until they could see no villagers about. Undetected, they slipped into the quiet forest.

* * *

**Quite a few things are at work here. Should I include a Star/Roy subplot? I'm considering it, though it would make the story a bit sadder. Anyway, let me know what you think!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**RukiaRae**


	10. Chapter 10

**Last Chapter**

Kori pranced down the street, eager to be off with Roy as soon as possible. He had prepared two of his family's horses and taken his bows and arrows along and tied them to a tree about 20 metres in the forest. Kori met him at the edge of town. They both pretended to be chatting until they could see no villagers about. Undetected, they slipped into the quiet forest.

* * *

**Unexpected**

She sighed, something wasn't right. It had been at least 2 hours, and for the most part, Xander had kept pace with her (while staying respectfully behind knowing that she wasn't in a talking mood). Sure there were times that he was just a smudge on the horizon, but she had _seen _him. And, for the past 40 minutes or so, that had changed. She couldn't make him out, a fact that was made worse by the treacherous rainfall. Not to mention her pace had been slowed by the muddy ground underfoot.

_Something's not right._

She sighed, _Why do I have to do this now, of all times? _She was trying to avoid him, trying to quash her developing feelings for him and now she would have to go back and, presumably, speak to him. She felt her heart clench at the thought but quickly shoved the feeling aside. She was not _weak. _She could handle this. Cursing under her breath, she turned and slowly began riding back the way she had come, looking for signs of Xander.

* * *

Garfield returned with a few fish and 3 rabbits. Living in the forest alone for a year prior to living with Xander had taught him a few things about survival. Unfortunately, the weather got worse, raining torrents down. There would be no way to cook anything he had killed. Disgruntled, he rescued a few pieces of soaking wood with the intention of keeping them in the cave until they dried. Not to mention their bark could provide basic sustenance.

Entering the cave, he still saw Tara's sleeping form. He felt bad that he would have to wake her soon for another day of hard travel.

* * *

She almost missed him, his nondescript clothes blended perfectly with the background. He was stumbling and shivering uncontrollably. At once Raven knew this had to be him. She quickly vaulted off her horse and rushed over to him. Upon closer inspection, Raven saw his shivers were more violent than she could see from her horse and that his lips and fingers were blue, but it was still very obviously Xander.

Noticing his lack of outerwear, Raven shrugged off her warm cloak and put it on Xander, placing his hands in the pockets to warm up. She cursed herself for not grabbing one for him before dashing away from Richard at the mansion. No wonder he was in such a bad state. He appeared dazed and confused, not completely registering who she was or why she was there. The sight made her stomach roll, especially knowing that she had contributed.

Raven spent much time trying to heave Xander onto his horse before deciding that she was wasting valuable time. Gathering the weary horses by the reins, she used her other free arm to grasp one of Xander's hands to help guide him along. It was slow going with his stumbling and lack of alertness, especially with in the torrential downpour where visibility was limited and mud threatened balance. Eventually, after what felt like eternity, Raven stumbled upon a cottage in the woods. Smoke rising from the makeshift chimney alerted her that it was, in fact, occupied.

Nervous, Raven left Xander and the horses five metres or so back in the trees before advancing on this cottage. She was thankful that the rain drowned out her footsteps and that she only had to be aware of not being seen. Crouching low, Raven made her way to the side of the cottage and peered cautiously through the small window. Admittedly, she couldn't see much of the interior since there was barely any light outside. The areas she could see appeared intact and neatly decorated. She sighed, relieved. The cottage didn't seem like it was overrun with bandits and she hoped that the owner of the cottage would be kind. Returning with Xander and the horses about 10 minutes later, Raven banged loudly on the door so that the owner of the house would hear.

A kind old woman answered the door.

"Hello miss, sorry to bother you, but could we stay for awhile? He's freezing and needs a warm fire," Raven asked, almost shouting over the winds.

"I don't have much by way of food to offer you both," she commented, but Raven was undeterred.

"Please, we have our own food and I can help you around the house. And we'll leave you with a horse when we go that you can sell soon to pay off our stay here. _Please,_" she asked.

The woman sighed, "Alright. Put your horses in the stable. It's a stable for one so it'll be a bit tight but they should manage. There is some left over hay that my son didn't need, you can feed them with that."

Raven nodded, escorting the horses while Xander was let inside. A couple minutes later, after securing the horses, removing their saddles, and spreading some hay for them, she joined the party in the house.

"Don't go too much farther, I don't want the place soaking," chided the woman before leaving to get a change of clothes for the both of them.

She returned moments later with a large sweater and dress for Raven and a sweater and trousers for Xander and some towels.

"They may not fit, but there is a good chance that his clothes will fit, he looks to be about the same height and build as my son," she said, suppling the clothes.

"Thank-you miss," replied Raven respectfully, taking the items.

Using the towels, Raven took off Xander's shoes and dried his feet before trying to soak up excess water from his clothes and hair. After deeming him acceptable to walk to the room they'd be staying in, she did the same to herself. She then found the woman and asked to be led to their accommodations. There Raven set about the embarrassing task of changing Xander. She found herself incredibly uncomfortable, well, changing _everything_ but she knew it had to be done. Glad that he wasn't aware of what was going on, she quickly set about her business.

The clothes fit him like a glove. Raven's clothes, however, were a different story. The dress was much too big for her petite frame. Her body was engulfed in the burlap, looking very much like she was wearing a sack. And it was _itchy. _Still, she couldn't complain. She put the sweater given to her on before pulling the quilt off the rather small bed in the room and wrapped it around Xander. She then took all of their wet clothes and led Xander to the fire. There, she used the empty racks to hang their clothes to dry near the fire.

Sitting next to Xander in front of the glowing flames, Raven quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Richard was glad to be from a wealthy family. His cloak was lined with thick fur and had a matching set of fur lined gloves. While the weather was bad, he wasn't feeling too worse for wear. The trouble was, the rain was washing away all of the tracks. He continued in the general direction that he had last seen, however, he couldn't be sure that they had stayed on the same course.

Cursing his luck, Richard continued on. At least he wasn't losing valuable time that he figured Tara and her party would be losing.

* * *

Kori was thankful that she knew where the mansion was located. She let Roy in, glad that the lock was left open during the hasty exit. The mansion provided a nice refuge from the elements.

"So this is where that thief lives?" asked Roy, gaping at the quality of the mansion.

"Yes, friend," replied Kori, guiding Roy to the kitchen.

"They have food!" she cried, rejoicing before working to prepare a meal.

"Oh, let me take care of that Kor, you go change," suggested Roy, knowing just how bad her cooking was.

Kori and he used to be great friends growing up. Working at the stalls, hunting, and helping to provide for his family, as Kori had done for hers, did create a bit of a rift between them. They could no longer hang out nearly as much as they used to. This was also compounded by the fact that Kori was chosen to go to the thief's, and when she returned, had even more people detracting her already limited time.

Then _he _showed up. This new guy just _had _to come along and sweep Kori off her feet. This new guy was arrogant and cocky and didn't deserve to have her. Rich only wanted to prove he could get Kori, but he clearly didn't value her like he should've. Roy's mind flashbacked to the first interaction between him and his ebony haired counterpart. Rich had said there would be no competition between them, as if he was used to getting what he wanted. And the most infuriating thing was, it was working for him.

Roy's thoughts were broken off when Kori re-entered the kitchen in a dry, new dress that was laughably short on her. She was tall and lean and the dress only came up to mid-calf. Still, Roy gave her a beaming smile and didn't comment. Part of his brain urged him to go for Kori, to use this mission to woo her. But he quickly quashed the thought, if she was happy, he would be happy for her too. Keeping things as normal as possible, he asked her where the different ingredients were to create his infamous stew and began to cook.

* * *

Raven awoke to the old woman's gentle prodding. Groggily, she sat up and heard the woman say dinner was prepared. She nodded and stretched out her limbs before turning to Xander. Before waking him, she decided to inspect his extremities to make sure he had gotten colour back into his skin (she knew he would never let her if he were awake). Satisfied that he was fine, Raven gently shook him awake.

* * *

_Where am I? _he thought upon opening his eyes. Upon inspecting his surroundings, he saw that he was on a hardwood floor in front of a shabby fireplace. But then he saw _her. _She was there with him, looking at him with concern. And she looked beautiful with the firelight dancing on her midnight black hair.

He smiled, "What's the matter, Sunshine?"

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked, concern evident in her voice, "You were blue from cold and shivering."

He _did _have weird flashbacks, but they seemed more like dreams. Furthermore, he couldn't really remember what had been said, just a random tree here or a gnarly root there. It was odd not remembering everything from the past-

"How long has it been?"

"About a day now, with the nap," Raven supplied.

He grunted, "We're losing ground, you know."

"I doubt it," she shot back, "The rain storm has probably stopped everyone else too and has hidden our tracks. If anything, despite almost losing you, I'd say it's a good thing."

He smiled, not pushing her to admit that she cared for him as he had tried to do not long ago. That time seemed forever ago.

"Anyway," she began, her voice cutting into his thoughts, "The woman who owns this place has prepared a meal for us. We should go before it gets cold."

He nodded before standing and following her to the table. His muscles felt sore and stiff and he was glad to have a reprieve of travel.

At the table were three bowls of brown rice and some ale to wash it down. Grateful, Raven thanked the woman for providing food as well.

"The horse you'll give me should cover the cost of a simple meal for a few days," she replied.

_That face...where do I know that face? _thought Xander. She looked like...but she couldn't be. She appeared to have the same face as the woman who'd cursed him long ago (before she had reverted to her beautiful form), however the hair colour and eye colour were different. He shook his head, it couldn't be her. The memory was one that was over a century old, surely his mind was deceiving him.

"So how do you two know one another?" inquired the woman, making small talk.

"We're engaged," quipped Xander, ignoring Raven who almost choked on her rice.

"Is that so?" she asked.

"Yeah. She was travelling and we bumped into one another and, well, the rest is, as they say, history."

"And where is it you're from?"

"He's from Bludhaven and I'm from Azarath," answered Raven in an effort to hide her little incident, "I was travelling to Bludhaven to meet a...friend and met him on my way home."

"Ah. My son, Petyr, is currently on a business venture in Bludhaven."

"Really? How interesting. I hope he finds good fortune," commented Xander, glad that she didn't ask location-specific questions. Sure, he had stolen from the place, however, running from the authorities didn't leave much downtime for looking at the landmarks of the town or of knowing addresses.

"So, miss, what is your name?" asked Raven, "I don't believe I had the chance to ask before falling asleep."

"My name is Sandre."

Xander nodded, grateful for the change of topic. Quickly finishing his bowl, he excused himself to an early night on the basis of still recovering. He was surprised when Raven helped clean the plates and then left to follow him.

"Why on earth would you tell her we are _engaged?" _She shrieked not two seconds after entering the room.

"Keep your voice down," he chided before saying, "It would be improper for a couple that is not married or engaged to share a room. And she strikes me as a traditional sort, and I for one am not sleeping in the stables."

"I'm not sharing a bed with you!" she cried.

"Don't be childish. The floor is uncomfortable. Besides, the bed is big enough where we can each have our own side."

Raven grunted, "I am not being childish!"

A playful grin stole its way onto his face, "You _so_ are."

Raven huffed, "Whatever."

"Don't be like that, Rae, or I'll have to hug you!" he teased.

"You do and I'll. Kill. You."

"I have more martial arts training than you do, Sunshine," he said, winking at her.

He saw the blush that ran across her face, but barely, as she quickly turned her face from view.

"Let's just get some sleep," she said.

"Sure thing, Sunshine. This is my side, that'll be yours."

They both changed into the night attire Sandre provided them, Raven insisting that he hold a sheet up for her to change. He had no idea she was so, well, timid about it. He, of course, changed in full view and was amused by Raven's not-so-subtle glances.

He thought about teasing her but decided against it since they were still on shaky ground.

"Good night, Rae," he said softly.

"Good night, Xander," she replied before turning over to get some sleep.

* * *

**How do you guys like the way the story is going? So I'm going to try and finish this story before I leave for summer camp on June 18th. I will be working for two months, and at the facilities, they have no secure place for valuable items like my laptop. Because of this, and the little free time I will have, I won't update on my other stories until I'm back.**

**Anyway, hope you all enjoy!**

**Review please, even for constructive criticism!**

**~RukiaRae**


	11. Chapter 11

**Last Chapter**

They both changed into the night attire Sandre provided them, Raven insisting that he hold a sheet up for her to change. He had no idea she was so, well, timid about it. He, of course, changed in full view and was amused by Raven's not-so-subtle glances.

He thought about teasing her but decided against it since they were still on shaky ground.

"Good night, Rae," he said softly.

"Good night, Xander," she replied before turning over to get some sleep.

* * *

**Origins**

Just about ready to leave the Roth household, Victor heard a knock at the door. Victor was grateful to the rogue storm as it gave him more time to wait for darkness without worrying about Raven's mother (after all, as he predicted, she was not home yet and was probably staying with someone who lived closer to her area of work until the storm passed). He did have to leave soon, however, or really risk getting caught. The storm was letting up and it was still before the dawn, now would be his best time.

So the knock on the door made him wary, to say the least. It could be Kori, but she and Roy had intended to leave much sooner. Still, the storm could have thwarted their plans. Victor opened the door cautiously. He was not expecting what happened next. An angry and terrified mob stood at the ready, torches lit and ropes at the ready. He barely had time to react before the ropes ensnared him from all directions.

_What is going on? How could they even know I was here? _he wondered to himself, his confusion slowing down his thoughts.

* * *

Xander awoke in the early morning. The storm had been reduced to a light drizzle and he felt well rested for the first time in what felt like a very long time. He almost got up to start his day, but hesitated upon noticing the additional weight on his chest.

Being the morning, Xander was never truly awake. Only after standing up and eating some food or having some coffee would his brain start to function normally. Because of this, it was always easy for him to overlook small details in the early, such as the weight on his chest.

She looked so calm asleep. She looked truly peaceful and nothing like how feisty she was when awake. It was a rare sight, one that he felt glad to see. He briefly wondered how they had ended up in this position since they had gone to sleep back to back but soon decided it was irrelevant. Deciding not to wake her up, he circled his arms around her and decided that sleeping in today wasn't such a bad thing. Especially with her in his arms.

* * *

"Friend," Kori began, gently prodding Roy awake. He could see the dark circles under her eyes and the concern in her face. _It's probably something to do with that cocky asshole._

"What's wrong?" he asked as gently as he could in the early morning.

"Friend Victor has not yet returned here and I am worried for him."

"The storm was bad last night," comforted Roy, "We were stuck here and I'll bet that he was stuck somewhere too, just like Richard probably was and Red-X and Raven. It's just a fact of the weird storm. I bet he's safe and sound and will head here when he wakes up."

"I suppose you are right, friend," Kori replied, "You have put my mind at ease."

"Glad to hear it. We should be heading out soon ourselves if we stand any hope of catching up to them. We're a day behind," explained Roy, getting out of bed to start the day.

"Agreed friend," stated Kori, "Let us break our fast and gather some food before setting out."

* * *

Raven blinked the sleep from her eyes. She was still half asleep, however, she felt warm and comfortable. She snuggled more to the source of the warmth before realising it was Xander. Her first instinct was to stay and enjoy the feeling, a thought that made her blush profusely, however the sensible part of her brain quickly reminded her why it was a bad idea.

_It was stupid._

His words rang in her head and she instantly knew that she could not stay. She could not let her guard down around him. This somehow was how they rearranged themselves while sleeping, it wasn't a conscious thing he was doing. She could not trust him. With his words echoing in her mind and strengthening her resolve, Raven delicately detangled herself from his grasp. She tried her best not to wake him, and thought she had succeeded, but unbeknownst to her, Xander had woken up after she first began rustling around. He was a light sleeper, a product of always being hunted.

She then left the room to get her clothes that had dried near the fireplace the night before.

* * *

As soon as she left, Xander let out his breath and stopped pretending to be sleeping. He began mulling over his thoughts, namely, why she left so quickly. He understood that she seemed to be distant when it came to physical contact, but that didn't seem to be the reason she left. She _snuggled _before abruptly leaving.

_Why does she hate being around me? _he thought. Insecurity was usually never his thing, but somehow, she always made him feel inadequate, like he could never measure up.

He sighed and decided, after trying to guess Raven's motives, that he hated women. Especially this one. Trying to figure her out always left him feeling more confused. Sitting up, Xander supposed that he ought to get up as well and pretend as though he knew nothing about holding her in his arms while sleeping. It would be better this way. Besides, telling her it was intentional would create more awkwardness between them, something he wanted desperately to avoid. So he decided to do nothing.

* * *

Tara had whined and complained and finally gotten her way. They waited until the rain stopped before travelling. Some of the wood in the cave had dried sufficiently to light a fire, so they had a quick meal of cooked fish before packing everything up, including the rabbits (which Tara was not happy about-they were cute).

She was glad that Gar-yes, he told her to start calling him Gar- had relented. Travelling out in the rain would have been such a pain and could have made her or Garfield incredibly sick. Rains that strong and cold were _not _normal.

* * *

After spending most of the storm lost, Richard was glad that his situation had changed. He was still lost, mind you, but at least he wasn't being pelted constantly by the cold water. Wandering around the radius where he had last seen the tracks, Richard saw something move in the distance.

Whether it was his prey or a stray animal, he couldn't be sure, but he would check it out. Vaulting off his horse, Richard silently made his way forward. Sure enough, he could eventually make out two figures and the whiny voice of a girl. This had to be them. Elated, Richard silently slunk back over to his mount. He was glad that he had the common sense not to wander away from the last point of their tracks. It looks like he was right-this girl was no experienced traveller. She couldn't ride long and needed much rest after, a fact that had played to his advantage. He was back in the game.

* * *

Xander felt like banging his head against the wall. He disliked the idea of them still being on shaky ground, however, what he was about to do was stupid. He felt embarrassed, almost like crawling under a rock and remaining there.

Still he bit the bullet after breakfast, "We need to talk, you and I."

She gave him a look, "Something bad?"

"No, it's not," he began, out of earshot of Sandre, "But we can't keep going through awkward meals like that. We need to fill in the gaps to our story and part of that means actually knowing our real stories. As real as we can make everything sound, the better."

Xander held his breath, waiting for her to laugh or dismiss his comment. Truth was, sure dinner and breakfast were awkward, but they could handle it. It was mostly a (rather poor) excuse to cover up his curiosity about her past. He had lived with her for about half a month and _knew_ her-knew what would get a rise out of her, what she would enjoy- and yet he still didn't really know her. It bugged him.

"We don't have to go into tons of detail either, but when you lie, I learned to do it right," he quickly added since she did not immediately respond.

Raven nodded, "Makes sense, I suppose. Though you should go first, my life has been significantly shorter and less interesting."

Xander tried to hide the happiness that flooded through him. He felt like grinning, he had gained some of her trust, enough that she would tell him more about herself. More than probably what most others knew. Sure he would have to spill too, but it seemed worth it. Besides, living for over a century, he could gloss over most of his life.

"Let's begin," she drawled, "By the way, how old are you?"

"Well I was immortalised at 21, so I have frozen in time if you will. I am still 21 and have been for about 117 years," he replied calmly.

She took the answer well, considering. Of course she looked quite surprised, however, it seemed that she was also expecting it to be a long long time that he had lived.

"Okay. I also remember that letter about your mother and sisters. Who were they? What were they like? How-" Raven questioned, unable to contain her curiosity. This was likely the only chance she'd have at getting information about him.

"Slow down," Xander said, cutting off her questions, "How about I start from the beginning and, at the end, if you have more questions then you ask?"

Raven nodded, "Alright, fair enough."

Xander then began to recount the most important parts to his tale.

"I grew up in London in around the 300th year of Azar with my three sisters, my mother, and my father. My father was a wealthy merchant, always off on business ventures. It was decided when I was about 10 that I would become an apprentice. I was eventually found a patron among my father's connexions, a banker would train me in the craft. That year, I moved in with this man's family-I am forgetting his name now, it's been so long. I would go to grammar school and, in the evenings, come back to his house to do further work on sums.

As I grew, so did the material that I was taught. He would teach me how to spot counterfeit money and cheques and would teach me how to assess value. I soon learned to do sums quickly in my head and even had an aptitude for what he was teaching me. It was fun. I would only get a certain amount of breaks a year and would go home when I could, but the journey did take about a week. My father had been getting wealthier, making advantageous deals and supporting my younger sisters in boarding school. He also paid the dowry for the eldest, Aria, to wed. Then, on a venture to Bludhaven, his ships hit a bad storm. They disappeared and were never found. They were all presumed dead."

Xander knew he should have felt _something _when recalling the news of his father's death, but the years had helped close the wounds. He couldn't even recall his father's face. It made him embarrassed, that he had been reduced to, essentially, stone. He could not feel or remember.

He was surprised when Raven hugged him, it was as though she knew. Maybe she didn't know, but just being hugged, no questions asked, was the best thing. He gave her a slight squeeze and sighed. Part of him wanted to stop, but he had already started and was going to see this through.

Determined, he continued.

"When we heard the news, we all took it badly. My mom barely left her room for weeks, so I had heard. My sisters were still allowed to stay in boarding school, but it came at a high price to the family. By the time this had happened, I was 15. I was still not old enough to work in the industry, but after my father's death, my father's friend knew that my family wouldn't have the resources to keep paying for my instruction. So he promoted me to apprentice, a true apprentice. One that made a salary. My earnings did help keep the family afloat for awhile, but funeral costs did take their toll. My mom decided to pay for it all with a loan from the bank and spent the next decade trying to pay it all off.

My sisters went from being incredibly wealthy to poor in an instant. The problem with them was their school. They wanted to look rich, look like they were unaffected, and never learned to reign in their spending. A year after all of this, the youngest, Ruth, came down with the flu. Everyone was panicked, it was nothing to take lightly. My mom hired the best doctors to look after her-again spending more than we had. Not long after getting sick, Ruth succumbed to the illness. At this point, we could not afford to bury her properly like we did with father. She was dumped into the communal area with many others with no ceremony and no plaque to speak about her. Apart from me, she is forgotten.

While Ruth was ill, to help pay for the medical costs, my mom took on a new profession as a tailor. She would sew and repair items on the side. After Ruth and father, she grew fussy over me and Bridgette, her last young children. Bridgette eventually graduated and went on to write. She also eventually married to a man with virtually no status, a fact my mother disapproved of. They fought somuch that they eventually became estranged. I was soon always on the move, acting as a shadow to this friend of my father's. Eventually, he died of old age, leaving me to put my knowledge to the test. Unfortunately, his partners in the company fired me, citing that I lacked experience.

Bitter, I returned home to live there for the first time in years. My mother there compared to the one I had left at age 10 was a different person. Outliving Ruth and father, coupled with her disagreements with Bridgette took their toll. True, she had me and Aria, but Aria was far away and she and mother only conversed around holidays. My mother was slipping, losing her spirit.

I tried to help as best as I could, but to no avail. She sunk deeper into depression. I eventually convinced her to sell the house and move to the countryside, both to get her away from the memories of father and to get her some money. Not to mention the fresh air of the countryside. I helped her move. It was not long until she too passed on. At that point, I sold her belongings and left. I knew I should have contacted Aria and Bridgette and, perhaps, moved in with them, however, I was never close with them. I hadn't lived with them when it mattered-when we were forming and shaping who we were.

So I left to Gotham City, finding work for awhile. It was barely enough to make ends meet. So I eventually stumbled upon the Thieves Guild, a secret group that taught hand-to-hand, stealth skills, and lockpicking in exchange for a commission on what you stole. I spent many years there, learning from them and finally getting by. I get bored easily, though, and at 20 I left the guild. I was still refining my skills when I came upon an old woman in the forest, a story that I'm sure you've heard.

She had a large emerald necklace, one that I thought surely would buy me passage to Bludhaven. She caught me and cursed me. Since then, I moved to Azerath, pleased with my new ability. I knew that the small town of Azerath was occupied by mostly wealthy people. These people being your ancestors. They had money and had decent sized homes commissioned. Several had family heirlooms, like jewels and necklaces, that have been passed down. Some still surface at the ceremony that you went through, I know because I usually steal them when they arrive at my house. However, at the time, stealing was something I still got a rush from. I made friends with a group of bandits and we would go on the largest raids.

However, like her curse said, I did live to see everyone grow old-grow up, even- and eventually die. I was alone. And that realisation took its toll. I stole away into the mansion, stealing to keep your people from raiding my house. Eventually stopped raiding and I stopped stealing as much. I still had to steal something, to let them know that I was still there and could take more if they did not co-operate, however, stealing lost its fun for me. I kept to myself, kept my head down. I eventually went along with the town's sending me people to have some company. At first I never let them in and would wait for them to go home. Then I decided to take them in during the winter months, not for long, but to add variety and keep them from dying.

And the tradition started. And here we are," he finished.

Raven whistled, "That's quite a story. But how did you meet Victor and Garfield?"

"Tsk, tsk," Xander playfully chided, "I've gone on long enough, I'll tell you that story later. It's your turn."

* * *

**How did you like the chapter? I decided it was about time to flesh out the background stories of the main characters. Hope it wasn't too abrupt. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated-even criticism!**

**~RukiaRae**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi everyone, I'm alive and back to FF! I'll be working on this story first (only about 4-5 chapters left for this one) and I'll also be simultaneously updating _The Proposal _which has much more to be done before its finished. So it may be a few days between chapters, but I'm excited to finally bring this story to the end. Anyway, I hope you like this next instalment of the story! **

Raven whistled, "That's quite a story. But how did you meet Victor and Garfield?"  
"Tsk, tsk," Xander playfully chided, "I've gone on long enough, I'll tell you that story later. It's your turn."

* * *

**Regression**

Raven sighed, she did not like talking about herself. Then again, considering all he had revealed, it was only fair. Taking a deep breath, Raven began her tale.

"My mother had always lived in the village as far as I can remember. She was beautiful and most everyone sought her hand in marriage. One day there was a carpenter who was supposed to just pass through our town. My mother met him in the market and they both fell for one another. The carpenter, Elliot, made every excuse to stay, delaying his trips to spend time with my mother.

He eventually left, closing up his business in Gotham and moving to our town. He asked my mother to marry him and she agreed, happily. Elliot was fond of making new contraptions and devices. There was a fair held in Gotham each year that would show the new developments that other people had created, as well as, allow new inventors to register and show off their items. Elliot, always quiet and shy, finally had mustered up the courage to enter. He set off two weeks before-one week to travel, one week to set up shop.

My mother stayed behind in an effort to keep the shop open, but she could not contain her excitement. She decided to surprise him and show up to the event. She set off a week later with all of the provisions necessary to make the trip. However, she encountered bandits on the way."

Raven paused, she wanted nothing more than to end her story there. She knew he didn't care much for her, not romantically at least, but she didn't think she could stand pity. And pity was the only thing this story would earn her. But seeing the eagerness in Xander's warm eyes made her reluctant to disappoint. And he did tell her quite a bit about himself and his own family.

Steeling herself, she continued, "She brought a small dagger with her, but there were too many of them and they overtook her. They were not content to merely steal her things, but they also...they..." she trailed off, unable to force the words out.

Xander took her hand and stroked her knuckles with his thumb in a soothing and supportive gesture. She appreciated his comfort, but it was hard to focus with his hands trailing hot fire on hers. She desperately wanted to pull away and put some space between them, however, they rarely had these non-awkward moments. And he was trying to be amiable, it wasn't entirely his fault that she was falling for him like a young child with her first love. She should have more control than this.

She wished that she could tell him just what he was doing to her. How each stroke of his hand sent fire coursing through her but also tore her apart bit by bit. It was akin to being tortured to death. But telling him this would mean admitting to him that he affected her, that she loved him.

_I did not just think that!_ she mentally chastised, pushing the revolting thought away.

"...Raven? Are you alright?" he asked, pulling herself from her musings.

"Fine, just got lost in thought is all," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant. She hoped he wouldn't notice that her voice was a few octaves higher than usual.

He nodded, his gaze fixed on her, waiting for her to continue.

She flushed and turned her head away before continuing.

"They overtook her and raped her. They then left her for dead stealing everything she had. A wayward traveller eventually found her and took her back home. She made it back before Elliot and she never told him. We lived in normalcy for awhile, my mother pushed back the memories and seemed to be coping well.

But one of the bandits got her pregnant. Elliot thought she had been unfaithful and she did not correct his assumption. She did not want his pity or for him to think differently of her. Eventually, when he made it clear he would not stay, she broke down and told him. Only, at that point, he no longer believed her and thought she was lying to get him back.

Elliot left and I was born. I'm told I was mostly raised by the other families in the village since my mother resented me for forcing her to expose her secret. After Elliot left, my mother had to tell the townsfolk the real story or risk being exiled for false transgressions. The travellers, a girl and her father, testified in her defence. They let her stay, but they did not treat her the same. They treated her as though she were fragile, a fact she hated. She retreated into family life using the profits that Elliot had left her with to finance my education. She barely left our home at this point, so I'm told.

Years passed and Elliot travelled to our town once more. When he heard from the townsfolk that my mother had been, indeed, telling the truth and that she openly resented me for it all, Elliot visited her. They reconciled everything and began to live together once more.

I grew up for 6 years with Elliot. He was very kind, he encouraged me to expand my knowledge in all things. He would show me his trinkets and taught me to horseback ride. He always brought books back from his travels, histories and stories from distant places. After I finished reading them, my mother would donate them to the bookkeeper in town, a fact Elliot always approved of. He thought knowledge should be shared and treasured.

After returning from one of his trips, he brought back the silver locket that you've seen. That trip really took much out of him. He fell into sickness and died a few days later of heart failure."

She felt Xander squeeze her hand reassuringly and tightened her own hold on his hand.

"Though he was not my biological father, he was the best father I could ask for. I keep his locket not only as a reminder of him and the great person he was, but also as a reminder that family is not who you are related to. Family is a choice."

He nodded in agreement.

Finally he spoke, "Wow, that must have been a difficult childhood, though if you permit me, I'm glad for it. Without those experiences, you would not be the lovely young woman before me."

She couldn't help the blush that bloomed across her face and the shock at his words. Her eyes widened..._Did he just say I am lovely?_

She allowed herself a brief moment to entertain the idea that he actually meant it as a description of more than her personality. _He's made it clear that he's not interested, pull yourself together_ she harshly reminded herself.

Before she could respond, there was a soft knock at the door that made them both jump.

* * *

Vic awoke, his head throbbing. He had bruises lining his human parts. It took a moment for the memories to flood back...the angry mob...the pink-eyed witch...getting tossed in jail...

He groaned, the mob was incredibly violent. He knew it was from fear- how many men had robotic, futuristic limbs?- but he was still a person. Were they so blind?

"I see you're finally awake, Sparky."

The sassy voice broke him from his reverie and he was thankful to not be alone in the cell. Looking over to the patch of light from the barred window, he saw the scowl of his companion. She had chocolate skin and ebony hair that looked untamed, it stuck out in every possible direction. But the sunlight streaming in behind her softened this, as well as, her gaunt features from her lack of nourishment.

"Uh, hi," was the only response that came to mind.

"Look, I don't normally ask for help, but I need to break out of here and you look like you might have the strength to do it, Sparky. Will you help me?" she asked bluntly, cutting to the chase immediately.

"Why are you in here?" he asked.

She heaved a sigh, "I tried to assassinate the Ageless One."  
Vic's mouth dropped open, how could she admit to such a thing?!

"For you to understand, Sparky, I need to explain things first. Just hear me out." Vic, intrigued, shut up and allowed this once fierce woman to tell her tale.

* * *

Richard pressed on, silently trailing several feet behind the girl, Tara, and her green companion. He figured the thief wouldn't be, well, green. That would warrant attention that a thief did not want. His curiosity piqued, who was this guy?

Richard assumed, by the horse they were riding, that this man was somehow connected to the thief. There was no other place to get a mount on the journey so far and the girl, Tara, looked like she was somewhat comfortable with this man.

Richard deduced that they must have taken a different route than the thief and were planning to meet him somewhere, and therefore, Richard decided it was best to hang back until they reached the rendezvous location. Unfortunately, this meant that Richard was enduring the dull part of the trip. They moved at a glacial pace and he had no one to keep him company.

This gave him an inordinate amount of time with his thoughts and no way to expel the stress the way he usually did through loud, intense training sessions. Recently, his thoughts returned to the poor, depressed redhead who he was doing all of this for. Increasingly as misfortune had fallen her, first with the loss of Raven, and while legal, was still a blow to her happiness, then with her loss of Tara.

Initially, catching the thief was about giving his restless energy an outlet, but lately...Well he couldn't get their date out of his mind. She was optimistic and trusting and had never suspected him of having ulterior motives. She just opened up to him easily. _And the way she looked in the muted candlelight..._

He groaned, instantly cursing his carelessness. Thankfully, the party he was trailing didn't seem to hear his frustrated groan. He vowed to be more vigilant in his task, after all, he needed to see this through. He would not risk messing this up from his own stupidity. He had to see Kori beam at him again, he had to save her from the despair that he had seen.

Lost in thought, Richard barely had time to look behind him before darkness overtook him.

* * *

"We will not find our friends, even with making haste," she moaned, dejectedly.

Roy wanted nothing more than to cheer his companion up, but he knew she was right.

"Raven must have gotten to the thief first, otherwise there would have been signs of a struggle in the mansion. Maybe we should go back and make sure your friend is alright?" asked Roy.

She nodded dejectedly. Roy could tell that she wanted to reach her friends but with no mounts and dwindling food, their prospects looked dim. Sure he could hunt for them, however, that would require a detour that would put them further behind the others.

"Raven has everything under control. She always does," he said, hopefully reassuringly.

* * *

Raven rose to open the door. Opening it revealed the old woman looking almost nervous. She looked down at her hands, fidgeting with them.

"Can we help you, Sandre?" Raven asked politely, glad for a reason to break contact with Xander and put some space between them.

"I could not help but notice the belt among the clothes drying. I can tell that it is enchanted and...," she trailed off.

"Yes?" prompted Raven.

"I was wondering if I could have that, to visit my son," she asked, "I am old and travel is not an option for me. But, consulting my histories, it appears this would allow me to travel without enduring the harsh conditions."

From her periphery, Raven saw Xander tense up, his jaw clenched.

"May we have a moment to discuss this?"

"Certainly and thank-you for considering this."

Raven nodded amiably and closed the door. Turning to face Xander, she asked, "What's wrong?"

His reluctance to answer her question annoyed her. She stomped over to where he was standing and snapped, "We've spent the afternoon sharing our pasts. What makes this any different?"

He sighed, she was right, of course.

"It's just that...I need it."

"For what?"

"To live," he replied softly. He could see she was taken aback by this response and began to explain further.

"If I part with this belt, I am doomed to die," he began, "The spell had two ways for me to lose my immortality. Parting with this is the other way to lose my immortality."

What came out of her after was pure acid, "You would deny this woman her right to see her son so you'd be able to keep the immortality...immortality that you've had _for 117 years_?!"

He flinched at the venom in her voice. He was about to explain further before she cut him off, snarling, "Isn't this the selfishness that got you into this predicament in the first place?"

_How foolish was I to think he had changed, that he could be anything other than a petty criminal_ thought Raven bitterly. _I knew falling for him was a big mistake, how stupid could you be Raven? First Malchior, now him...I have some clear relationship issues..._

"Really?" he asked, his voice full of hurt and emotion, "After our talk this afternoon you have the nerve to tell me I'm selfish? That I don't care about anyone else? I thought you understood me better than anyone, but I guess it was a stupid thought."

The intensity of his statement and the...pain in his voice made her regret her rash inquisition.

In an attempt to smooth things over, Raven decided to pursue a new subject and asked, "How come no one knows about this?"

He gave her a wry, humourless smile, "If everyone knew about it, I would have a weakness for people to exploit. I made sure that no one heard this part of the tale. When travellers wandered the woods, I had Gar and Vic spread the story around, disguised in cloaks, of course. Eventually, with meeting enough people and convincing them that it would be ridiculous. That piece eventually faded from the memories."

She nodded, "So what exactly happens?"

"Well, this was what the sorceress had put the powers of immortality into. She wanted me to feel a deep connection with an object, as she had with her necklace, so that I, too, would be at the mercy of anyone who had decided to steal it. Without it, my life drains faster than it would without the curse. I would have a limited amount of time to live."

_One year, to be exact_ though he did not voice this part aloud.

Raven gasped, processing this new information. After a long moment, she sighed.

"I'm so sorry...I just thought...I didn't..." she started trying to form a coherent sentence. Her face coloured with embarrassment and she managed to look everywhere but at him.

"Don't," he replied coldly, "You've made it very clear what you think of me. I need some time to make this decision. In the meantime, stay out of my way."

Raven cringed at his words but made no move to stop him as he left the room. She wanted desperately to apologise, to explain that she was grasping at straws for a reason to hate him...or to at least not love him. She mentally kicked herself for her unwarranted judgments and her harsh words.

* * *

Xander decided to wander outside, hoping that some time alone would give him clarity and perspective. After telling her everything, her words cut deep. She really was the only person he had entrusted his life story with and, well, she rejected him. Her comments essentially told him that she did not believe him to be anything other than a thief, that his story meant nothing. Perhaps she really only did see it as a way to cement and solidify their cover story with Sandre.

He wished she felt the same way about him that he did for her, but at each turn, she showed this to not be the case. He ran a hand through his disheveled caramel brown hair, trying to bite back the disappointment that was swelling in his chest.

He sighed, and how could Sandre ask him for that. _Of all things..._

It was hard to reconcile that he only would have a year left after so many years of immortality, sure, but what stung most was even if he gave up immortality, he would never have her. He was pretty sure that if she returned his affections he would drop it all...but that would be in exchange for her.

Perhaps that was selfish of him. He groaned. There was a kernel of truth to her statements and that bothered him.

He mulled over his thoughts more, they needed to leave before the sun went down. After the events of today, he was not sure that he could share a bed with her. Seeing her would only remind him of the disdain she held for him and that was something he could not bear. _She wouldn't even look at me_ he thought bitterly _I might as well have been a piece of dust, too lowly to be recognised_.

Making up his mind, he journeyed back to the hut with new resolve.

* * *

"Okay, Bee, I'll help you out. Let's hope this bastard is distracted enough by these events to overlook us."

The woman smiled for the first time in a while, "You have no idea how grateful I am, Sparky."

The next step was pure strategy-they needed out of this jail cell. Breaking out of the cuffs that chained him to the wall opposite Bee was not going to be easy. And they needed a plan for what to do when escaped. They couldn't exactly wander around town asking for directions to a nearby city or provisions to see them through. He sighed, what had he gotten himself into? Thankfully, Bee was conscious when they dragged her here and was able to give valuable information about the layout of the prison.

Still, breaking free would be difficult to orchestrate. _But not impossible..._

* * *

_Review if you have the chance! Any review is helpful! If you have any ideas as to what I should do next, let me know and I may include it in the story at some point!_

_Thanks for reading!_

_~RukiaRae_


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys, I'm back with another update. I couldn't figure out how I wanted the chapter to go. I really wanted to focus more on developing X and Raven, so this chapter is very much focussed on them and their interactions. Hopefully it's not neglecting everything else too much.**

_**DramurKopa~ I really appreciate the criticism...I tried to take some of it to heart in this chapter although I already had the chapter mostly written by the time I saw your review...**_

_**Still I tried including more dialogue and, considering your comment on the various other pairings, I'm still not sure who I want to end up together, but I think you're right...I've introduced Cy and Bee but I don't they'll be anything other than friends and as for Tara/BB and Rob/Kori/Roy I'll have to figure out what I want to do with those...**_

_**I also tried to focus more on Rae/X in this chapter and only have small interludes of other characters...so, in other words, I think you're criticism was helpful but I'd like you're feedback on the changes I did make in this chapter-what worked and what didn't for you :) Thanks again! :)**_

**Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

**Reconciliation**

She frowned, exhausted. He had forced them to leave the cabin that afternoon despite the fact that daylight was fleeting. She had regretted offering her mount to the woman at the door now, that seemed so long ago. She had not asked if he gave up the belt or not, she was not about to open that wound again. As such, she had to uphold her original end of the bargain-leaving behind one of their riding horses.

She sighed knowing that promise was a promise, and no matter what Xander had done with his enchanted belt, she had struck her own accord with the woman. It made no matter what Xander chose to do, it did not affect her promise. Thankfully, the woman was generous and gave them two saddlebags of food-one of coarse rice grains, one of oat grains and fruit. It was nice having provisions, but Raven missed being able to ride on her own. They had travelled three days in relative silence; all of her attempts to speak to Xander were brushed off coldly.

And it didn't help that she had to share his mount. While they were in the middle of their worst argument.

_This is what you get for leaving him behind in the rain that one day, now you can't go anywhere_ she thought, groaning at the unfair punishment the universe was giving her. Normally, she hated the people who went on about conspiracy and how the world was out to get them, but she was starting to wonder if Azar held some grudge against her.

After a slow day's travel (as they could not overwork their only mount left) they stopped to make camp for the night. They were going too slowly, losing speed. Raven knew that they would quickly be overtaken if Richard had followed them- he would not be with the limitations they had. She hoped he had followed Gar and Tara. They probably weren't making better time but, with Tara, his main objective would be completed. Surely he could forget about her if he had Tara...?

"I'm going to look for wood or a natural place of cover for the night," informed Xander, cutting into her thoughts.

"That's it?" she could not keep the annoyance from seeping into her voice, she was snapping from the stress, "It's been three days. I said something stupid, are you going to ignore me for the rest of the trip? Especially when you started this?!"

He frowned, "You don't understand." _I'll be gone soon, anyway._

In the glow of the fading light he still managed to look stressed, as though the last few days had added years to his life. She could have sworn there were a few gray strands in his hair too. She felt, well, terrible, as though their fight had contributed. This _weariness_ was not present before.

After a moment, he added, "And how the hell did I start this?!"

Her concern for him submerged under her flaring temper, "Are you kidding me? If you had just stopped stealing, I wouldn't have had to stay with you or come back to warn you about Richard! I would be home reading a lovely book drinking herbal tea. I would be calm!"

"I hate to break it to you, Sunshine," he retorted angrily, "But I didn't _make_ you come back! Not to mention you're the one who started all this fuss over one guy chasing me! I could be home!"

"Well excuse me for not wanting you dead! Next time, I guess I won't do anything!" she yelled, her fists balled at her sides shaking with rage.

"Fine!"

"Good!"

She stormed off to their horse, getting to work at preparing a decent meal while Xander stalked off into the forest. She sighed, this was not going as planned.

* * *

They had made it back to the mansion and everything was quiet...too quiet. However, there was a single light that illuminated one of the windows. It must have taken several oil lamps to make the room so bright.

"That is not Friend Victor's room," remarked Kori in confusion, "That is the study. Only X is permitted in the study."

Roy narrowed his eyes, X was no longer there, after all, that was the reason for this mess. And, from the information Kori gave, this Victor didn't seem like he would be taking a midnight read in his master's empty study.

Then who?

"Kori, I don't like this," cautioned Roy quietly, "I don't think we are staying here tonight. Let's go."

"Should we not do the spying to see who it is?" asked Kori, turning around and angling her body in a feeble attempt to see what was going on.

He sighed, surveying the land. Luckily, the unkempt gardens gave the place more coverage than usual.

Roy weighed his options before deciding.

"No," Roy finally replied, straightening his shoulders, "It's too dangerous and I don't like the idea of getting caught. Let's go."

* * *

Richard finally came to. He groaned, his head still bore a nasty bruise. His muscles were screaming in pain from the uncomfortable way he was riding. A quick check revealed that his hands and feet were both bound and he was also tethered to his horse. He was also laying sideways on the saddle so his legs and arms dangled off the horse.

_Who are these people?_ he thought.

He could have sworn he saw the town smith but darkness quickly overtook him once more.

* * *

She massaged her temples wondering what it was about him that angered her so quickly. He had been back for an hour setting up a makeshift shelter and they had barely said anything to one another.

She smiled to herself realising that she had found someone who was possibly more prideful than she.

"Look, as much as I hate to say this," she stated, extending an olive branch to X, "Right now we're all we have. And we're being chased by a madman. So, like it or not, I may be the last person you see. Can we please go back to being sort-of friends for now, at least until we reach our destination? Then you can talk to Gar or Tara and pretend I don't exist."

"Sort-of friends?" he asked innocently, forgetting his anger for a moment, "You never considered us friends, Sunshine?"

She grew flustered, "Um, I don't know_ what_ we are."

The instant she said it, she could feel the heat of embarrassment slowly crawl up her neck and face. She knew such a statement opened up questions-questions she was unwilling or unable to answer. Hoping he didn't see her face turn several magnificent shades of red, she quickly bowed her head.

"Well, if you had to define us, then, how would you?" he asked, noticing the blush creeping on her face before she dipped her head in vain to hide it.

"Hmm?" she intoned, a tactic used to buy time.

Feeling unusually brash, he walked toward her purposefully, "You heard me."

She looked up, startled at his reply. She looked almost like a deer in bright lamplight. Clearly, she was expecting him to let it go.

Picking up a small part of her roughspun dress, she began to fiddle, avoiding his gaze. Finally, after several 'umm's, she came up with the brilliant reply of "Well I don't know!"

Looking up from the piece of her dirty dress, her amethyst eyes met his and she saw that he was smiling at the encounter.

"Are you _laughing_ at me?" she snarled.

Putting his hands up in a defensive gesture, he replied, "Easy there, Sunshine. It's hard not to smile when you're at a loss for words. I think this marks the first time."

Rolling her eyes, she smiled, "Wow, I've outdone myself."

"Outdone yourself...what do you mean?"

"Erm...," she began before looking up.

"Something wrong?" he asked, concerned that she may actually be feeling ill.

"Just waiting to be struck by lighting...or something," she supplied, waiting.

A beat of awkward silence passed before she added, "Any minute now."

"Is spending time with me so terrible?" he asked, playfully, hoping his playfulness covered his curiosity.

"No, and that's just it," she retorted shifting her gaze back to the thief who was now inches away from her, "Will you miss travelling together? When it's all over, I mean?"

As soon as the question slipped out, her eyes widened in shock, seemingly in surprise at herself.

"Um, nevermind, don't answer that," she corrected, "I know you won't. Hell we've barely spoken this whole trip and I went and got you sick from being careless and said that stupid comment...so I guess we're not friends, are we? I've gone and made a mess of things...but now I'm rambling..."

He was taken aback by her revealing outburst; it seemed so unlike her. He was still registering her comment and barely heard her small apology.

Not really knowing how to react, he just hugged her. It seemed right and, after a small 'eep' at the surprising manoeuvre, she returned the hug.

"I was never mad at you, Sunshine."

She pulled away enough for him to see her brow arch gracefully.

"Fine, I was. For a bit. But not about running ahead of me," he explained, "Besides, I quite liked the detour to the cottage."

Cocking her head to the side (in the cutest way, X noticed but decided not to comment), she scrunched up her face, "You did?"

He shrugged, "More or less. Didn't you?"

"Well, erm, yes," she replied, unsure of herself again.

A small part of himself began to whisper that all might not be lost. Perhaps she did like him. Or could.

"Umm, Xander?" she asked, waving one of her hands in front of his face, "You kind of zoned out there."

In a split-second decision, X decided to throw caution to the wind and, pushing her against a tree roughly, kissed her.

For a moment he was sure he'd miscalculated. After what seemed like an agonising eternity to him, she, hesitantly, wrapped her arms around him and began to kiss him back.

* * *

Vic rattled the chains loudly, calling out to the jailors. It had been ages, with no response. He was satisfied, about to break free, when a small boy, probably around twelve years of age working on an apprenticeship, entered. He held the keys and looked nervous yet wary.

Vic's gaze softened. Looking over at Bee, they both realised that a new plan was needed.

"What's wrong?" The boy asked, trying to look unafraid.

"I'm not feeling so good," Karen answered and doubled over, as though she ate something bad, "May I please get some water?"

At her demeanor, the boy was disarmed. "Sure, be right back."

Karen smiled at him, the plan, although improvised on, was going well. The boy trusted a frail, sick looking woman.

Sure enough, he quickly returned with a mug of water.

"Will you unchain one of my hands so I can take a sip myself?" she asked innocently.

The boy complied. With one arm free, she quickly grabbed the keys from him and undid her other cuff before the boy could even react. She then threw the keys at Vic, which he deftly caught from his days as an athlete. He freed himself quickly.

Karen turned to the boy, "I like you but, if I leave you, will you stay here or go run and warn someone?"

The boy whimpered, "I'll stay."

Karen nodded, "Take the keys and the mug and go back to your room. We'll make it look like we broke out. Anyone asks, you heard nothing."

The boy nodded, doing as she asked. Vic used some of his tools to create scratches on the iron clasps and the surrounding wall.

"Let's go already," she snapped to Vic, before turning and gracefully making her way to the window.

* * *

Breaking the silence that had fallen between them, he awkwardly started, "So.."

Looking at her, she appeared almost erethral. The sun was setting behind her, enveloping her in its soft glow. Her face was noticeably flushed from their intense kissing and, although her neck was marred by his love bites, he decided she still looked radiant.

"Hmm?" she intoned, a small smile gracing her face.

Nothing witty coming to mind, he just simply blurted out, "I love you."

Her eyes opened in a flash, the content feeling gone, as she choked out, "_What?" _

"Aw, shite. That was the wrong thing to say, wasn't it?" he said, mostly to himself.

She laughed at his bewildered expression and his comment. Not a chuckle as she sometimes would, but a full-blown laugh that she couldn't contain. It wasn't long before tears were streaming down her face.

All she managed to choke out was "Y-your fa-ace..."

He grinned and waited for her to catch her breath before saying, "You should laugh more often. I think you have the cutest laugh I've ever heard."

She gave him a wry smile as she made her way to a fallen moss-covered tree and sat, "That's not saying much considering the only people you've probably laughed with are Gar and Vic."

After a brief pause, she added, "And I love you too. I think."

Trying to hide his smile, Xander sat next to her and, feigning hurt, he asked "You think?"

Raven hit him on the shoulder playfully, "Love is not my forte, Xander. Surely you could have guessed that by now."

Wrapping his arm around her shoulder in a comforting embrace, he replied, "Yes, but why is that, if you don't mind me asking?"

She looked away into the setting sun, her shoulders hunching as though the weight of the memory was too much to carry. Intertwining his fingers with hers, he gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"If you're not ready to talk about it, I'll wait."

She smiled at him sadly, "You deserve to know."

Before he could protest again, she began.

"It was a couple of years ago. A guy named Malchior was just passing through our village from Bludhaven. To me, he seemed everything a man should be-he was good-looking, smart and well-read...almost unbelievably well read. He was courteous and seemed to understand me. I was always a bit of the odd one out in the village. I loved to read, to the point that many deemed it unhealthy.

I was plain, introverted and shy and, yet, he seemed not to care. And he was such a fountain of knowledge that I felt like I couldn't compare-but he didn't seem to mind. He even went out of his way to talk to me.

We had many long talks about anything and everything and I enjoyed the time we spent together. Eventually, at some point, I realised that I had fallen for him during the encounters. I don't know if he could tell, but he grew bolder. He would kiss me when no one was around and sought out more ways for us to be alone together.

Then he wanted to take things further. I refused, it was not honourable and he had no roots in Azerath. He could leave whenever he wanted-there was no security. A little while later, he received urgent news that his sister had fallen ill and he left to see her immediately."

She snorted, "The bastard didn't even have a sister. It was all a hoax. About six months later, when I saved up enough coin to travel to visit him, he was already after someone else. I confronted him and he laughed at me. Mocked all the things I'd said to him-just cast it all back in my face. I felt like such a fool."

His arms tightened protectively, "I am so sorry. How cruel of him."

She shrugged, "I don't know if I loved him but I trusted him more completely than anyone I had known. His betrayal stung and I kept everyone else back after that. I don't know if I know what love is, how it feels. Like I said, I don't have experience beyond Malchior."

He smiled, "Lucky for you, Sunshine, I'm not exactly one to talk. I haven't seen anyone in quite a while. But I do know that I would do anything and give up anything for you, Sunshine."

Colour flooded her cheeks as she hugged him with such enthusiasm that they were both knocked to the ground.

"Well, then, I love you too, it seems."

Wrapping his arms around her, he smiled cherishing the moment. Both of them were so content and relaxed that they drifted off to sleep, waking only to the sound of an earthquake ripping all around them.

* * *

**Didn't write this chapter for the longest time because I couldn't figure out how I wanted X and Raven to end up together. I'm not sure how I feel about they ended up getting together, but I wanted it to be fluffy but a bit unconventional-I'm not sure I accomplished that but I hope you all enjoyed it all the same.**

**Let me know what you think! :)**

**~Rukiarae **


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